Cherry Blossoms and Snow
by XxNarutoFanGurlxX
Summary: Sakura has another day at The Leaf University, but along the way, she meets a newly accepted teacher, Kakashi Hatake, and for some reason, he drew her attention. What will she do about it? Currently being reconstructed.
1. Stranger

A/N: Half of the story is being reconstructed and re-edited.

* * *

**Title: Cherry Blossoms and Snow**

**Main Characters: Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Haruno**

* * *

Cherry Blossoms and Snow

It was a quiet and cold winter day in The Leaf Village. It was snowing peacefully, more than it had last year. The sound of mushing and squishing filled the air. The laughter scurrying of children about echoed in the village. It was a perfectly nice, fun winter.

A young nineteen-year old girl arose from a deep sleep, hearing a faint beeping beside her. She yawned and and pressed a circular button on her alarm, stopping the annoying and repeating noise. She hung her head, too tired to move, but had to for the sake of her grades. It was time to go to college.

The pink-haired girl jumped out of bed and lazily dragged herself to the bathroom. She glared at the glass and observed her own reflection. Her hair strands were crazily tucked behind her ears, her bangs was hiding her right eye, and her face was as pale as the snow. Sakura Haruno was definitely tired, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was getting tidied up in less than an hour so she can arrive _on time_ to school.

Sakura twisted the faucet and watched the water slowly spit out. She cupped her hands and filled it with water until it lapped over her thumbs, then splashed it onto her face. The teenage girl squeezed her eyes shut, feeling somewhat a shock wave shoot through her. Now wide awake, Sakura began to slip out of her pajamas and dressed into casual school wear: a white, baggy sweater, gray skinny jeans, a purple scarf, and brown boots.

She closed the door behind her and stuck a key into a key-shaped hole in the knob. Her fingers fumbled around with the item, twisting it and pushing it, and finally, she heard a small _click!_ Sakura sighed in relief and turned away from the door that now interested her no more than her car.

She gazed at her crimson-colored mustang, repeatedly asking herself if she should drive this time. College was only twenty minutes away and Sakura could easily stride across the snow to reach her destination. The snow could possibly delay her car from moving, and what was even more dangerous was that the roads were slippery like an ice rink. The pink-haired girl turned away from her car, deciding that she _should_ walk to school today. No use of her car meant no delay and less car accidents.

Sakura strode along an ice path rather than actually walking on it. Today, she wanted to hear the soft snow mush under her boots. She wanted to hear the sound of ice crushing rather than listen to small glass tapping. She wanted to feel herself sink into the ground and try to escape the hollow mounds. She wanted to do _everything_ that young kids would do.

A sudden faint engine roar shook her away from her thoughts. Sakura looked behind her and spotted a blue mustang slowly slipping across the iced road. It seemed as if the driver was avoiding any trouble and only wanted to be cautious, which made her smile because she would have done that as well. Her eyes followed the car as it slugged toward her. All of a sudden, she felt herself fly across the ground. Everything eventually blurred and she saw nothing but a white haze. She frowned, realizing she had still been walking as she thought to herself.

Her eyes scanned all around her, trying to find the books that she were holding. Soon, the blur faded, exposing her now easily seen textbooks lying near an oak tree. Just as she began to scramble to her feet, she saw two pale hands heave her books up. Sakura took a quick glimpse of the blue car, which was now parked onto the side. She hadn't realized the driver stopped to help until now. Sakura turned her attention back to the oak tree, but no one was there.

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over her, hiding the sun from sight. She squinted at a somewhat masculine figure, in front of her. "Are you okay? You've been on the ground for quite a while, now."

Sakura quickly rose to her feet, embarrassed from her actions. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," she replied.

Her eyes greeted a silver-haired man, who appeared to be in his late twenties. His hair was spiky and silver, but a portion of it hung in front of his right eye, covering it from sight. His visible eye was dark and full of mystery. But the lower half of his face was covered by the collar of his thick jacket.

She slightly frowned, disappointed that she could not see most of his face. The man looked very appealing and charming. He was cute too, to her surprise. Very cute.

The pink-haired girl shuddered as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? You look pretty beat, kid." Sakura's gaze met the man's. His eye darkened and she realized that he was waiting for an answer. The teenage girl simply nodded, showing hints of confusion and fear in her. The silver-haired man chuckled and handed her the books.

"I'm sorry. I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Kakashi Hatake," he laughed, hands rising up to his neck.

Sakura managed to smile back. "My name is Sakura Haruno." She paused, feeling a little bad for the stranger. She didn't want to keep him out in the cold just because of her lousy habits of being careless. "I'm sorry for delaying you. I was heading over to The Leaf University, but my mind drifted off…" Sakura found herself laughing at her own statement.

Kakashi's eyes suddenly creased as if he was smiling. "Oh really? I was accepted as a teacher there, and I was just driving over there."

Her eyes shot open. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I'm making you late," she apologized, slightly bowing her head.

"No it's okay," he replied, sheepishly scratching his head. He averted his attention from himself to her. The nineteen-year old girl was absolutely drained and exhausted, and the most noticeable, she was cold. He sighed and settled his hand on her arm, catching her by surprise. "If we're both going to the same place…I don't usually do this but…I could drive you there," he finally offered.

She rose an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you sure? I don't want to cause any trouble, sir."

"Please, call me Kakashi outside of school hours. I don't like being addressed formally too often. It makes me feel like I'm an old geezer," he muttered embarrassingly.

"I assure you that you're nowhere near old," she stated with a slight smile, "and um…do you really want to drive me there? I don't want to bring you any troubles…Kakashi."

The silver-haired teacher chuckled quietly. His grip on Sakura's arm grew tight as if his hands were growing stiff. "I insist. Besides, I don't want any student arriving late. We only have thirty more minutes until school starts and we are only fifteen minutes away. Might as well accept…Sakura. Sakura right?"

Sakura smiled slightly and nodded in response. "I guess I could. Thanks."

Kakashi followed her to his car and helped her get in, then got in himself.

"You sure?" Sakura asked, still unsure of his offer.

"Yes, I'm sure, Sakura. It's nice meeting you by the way. You seem pretty interesting," he replied. He gazed at her momentarily as she blushed. She immediately looked away, making an attempt to hide her red cheeks. He couldn't help but to fully expose an amused smile.

_'This student appears to be nice and kind, somewhat intelligent as well. I'd be lucky if I had her in my English class.'_

The rest of the trip was completely silent. The two didn't talk or start a conversation due to the fact that _he_ was a _teacher _and _she_ was a _student_. In reality, there was nothing to talk about between a teacher and student, especially if the person was completely new to you.

He adjusted the driving gear, preparing to back the car into the reserved parking space. Sakura's eyes stuck onto his hidden face, thoughts wandering and floating around in her mind. A billion questions shot at her brain and were begging to be answered, but she couldn't do it. She didn't want to pull his collar down, which could possibly catch him by surprise or infuriate him. She didn't want to ask him about it either—she was never the type of person who randomly talks to a stranger.

The car suddenly stopped moving, causing Sakura to flinch. Time passed by so quickly and she didn't notice that until now. She was spacing out awfully a lot.

"We're here, kiddo." Her gaze met Kakashi's as he turned away from the windshield. "It was nice meeting you."

His hand hesitatingly rose up, his fingers twitching every now and then. Without thinking, she reached out and gratefully held onto it. It felt very odd and unusual, and the warmth that they were sharing was making her heart skip beats.

A minute passed but the two hands did not part. In fact, it seemed as if they were firmly intact together.

"Yeah, nice meeting you, Mr. Hatake," she finally whispered, her hand slipping away from his.

He simply nodded and the both of them exited his car. Fortunately, no one saw them but if someone did, it would have been very discomforting. No, maybe even nerve wracking.

He waved her goodbye as he slowly trudged across a hallway in Building B. Her jade spectacles followed his figure until and when he disappeared into the cold snowy fog, she turned away and started off in the opposite direction. Oddly enough, his image and name didn't leave her mind like she thought they would.

For some reason, she couldn't shake him away from her. It was like tape sticking to a wall. He seemed extremely interesting and something about him looked vague. The fact that half of his face was hidden drove Sakura mad, and his eyes too—they were full of mischief. Everything about him drew her attention. He was a strange man indeed.

Kakashi Hatake was _truly_ a _mystery_.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I'm re-editing the whole story because I saw a LOT of mistakes and odd errors. I apologize for that.


	2. Full of Kakashi

Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto

Disclaimer for the last chapter - I don't own Naruto

* * *

_Recap: _

His hand hesitatingly rose up, his fingers twitching every now and then. Without thinking, she reached out and gratefully held onto it. It felt very odd and unusual, and the warmth that they were sharing was making her heart skip beats.

A minute passed but the two hands did not part. In fact, it seemed as if they were firmly intact together.

"Yeah, nice meeting you, Mr. Hatake," she finally whispered, her hand slipping away from his.

He simply nodded and the both of them exited his car. Fortunately, no one saw them but if someone did, it would have been very discomforting. No, maybe even nerve wracking.

He waved her goodbye as he slowly trudged across a hallway in Building B. Her jade spectacles followed his figure until and when he disappeared into the cold snowy fog, she turned away and started off in the opposite direction. Oddly enough, his image and name didn't leave her mind like she thought they would.

For some reason, she couldn't shake him away from her. It was like tape sticking to a wall. He seemed extremely interesting and something about him looked vague. The fact that half of his face was hidden drove Sakura mad, and his eyes too—they were full of mischief. Everything about him drew her attention. He was a strange man indeed.

Kakashi Hatake was _truly_ a _mystery_.

* * *

School went by like a breeze. Classes were normal but boring, as usual. Then again, all of the work that the students do help pull time away, making the day seem shorter. That was a good thing, especially for Sakura. She just wanted to finish her last class, head home, do homework, then sleep. That is usually what Shikamaru Nara did, one of her closest friends, but that didn't matter. Sakura was surprised with herself though. She never expected to end up acting like that lazy-ass student.

The pink-haired girl walked into a bathroom to tidy herself up after a long day of college. She glared at the mirror in front of her, observing and studying her reflection. Sakura's hair was neatly combed and curled, pink locks falling onto her shoulder. Her eyelashes had very little mascara, but it was a good enough amount to keep her looking decent. Her face was pale as the snow, which shocked her. She wasn't outside very much during school hours. She was working in class most of the time, so why was her face pale?

The nineteen year old girl shook her head and decided that it was just the lighting in the bathroom. Suddenly, she heard the door open. She eyed the entrance and watched two girls slip in, Ino Yamanaka and Hinata Hyuuga.

"Oh, Sakura. There you are. We were looking for you."

Sakura turned to face her two close friends and replied, "Looking for me?"

Hinata and Ino nodded in unison. "You know how you had a substitute for English class the other day?" Ino asked.

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened. She didn't like where this was going. "And?"

"W-Well, according to the rumors, you finally have a permanent teacher! I heard he's really smart!" Hinata explained, slightly smiling.

"He? It's a man?" she questioned dryly.

"Yeah, I heard he has silver hair! I don't really care what he looks like though. I don't have him for English," chimed Ino.

Sakura sucked a deep breath in to calm herself. Her new and official English professor would either be Kakashi Hatake or some other person. Scratch that. He probably _is _Kakashi Hatake.

"S-Sakura? Are you okay?" Hinata questioned, eyes growing worried.

The pink-haired girl simply bobbed her head in response.

Ino sighed and mumbled, "Well, we're heading off to math. See you later." Sakura watched her friends exit the bathroom, then turned her attention to the mirror again. She suddenly slammed her hand on the rim of the tinted glass, but quickly slid it back down to the faucet. The teenage girl found herself splashing cold water on her face. Sakura was trying her best to calm herself, but she can't even slow her own actions down. Adrenalin was coursing through her veins and shock waves were surging through her. She did not expect that a total unknown stranger would be her new official teacher.

Sakura walked across the hallway in Building B, the very hallway that Kakashi had walked through. Her thoughts wandered everywhere in her mind, some nearly slipping out of her mouth. She was trying her best to imagine the silver-haired man teaching their class. She was trying her best to imagine his reaction when she enters the classroom. Sakura was curious, indeed, but nervous as well. Things just got from disturbing to unnerving.

The pink-haired girl stopped in front of a white, slick door that read: _Room 5K, English_. She released a drastic breath, then turned the knob on the door. But she wasn't moving it, it was twisting on its own. All of a sudden, the door pulled back and opened, revealing a tall and lean masculine figure. Sakura stared in horror and embarrassment at the person in front of her, her hand still reached out to hold the knob.

No doubt about it. Kakashi _was absolutely _her new teacher.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I-" The man suddenly stopped talking after recognizing the student standing before him. "Umm, Sakura? What are you doing here?" She didn't bother to reply. The silver-haired man curiously looked at her, then realized that he had scared her. "Are you…okay?" Kakashi asked, hand reaching out to touch her shoulder. The student neither moved nor replied, but relaxed her arm and settled it beside her waist.

Sakura _finally_ managed to reply, "You did nothing wrong, really. I was just about to enter." Her face suddenly paled.

Kakashi bent closer to get a more precise view of his new student, but not only that, he wanted to check if she was okay. After all, Sakura was acting a bit weird. "Do you have a cold?" he asked, stroking his hand across her forehead.

She gulped and locked her gaze with his. Unintentionally, her eyes suddenly widened.

_His face was exposed._

"Hey, you seem sick. Do you want to go home or something? Take some medicine, perhaps?" Kakashi suggested, trying his best to find out what was bugging her. He observantly watched the young girl quickly calmed herself. She then took grasp of his hand and he shuddered at her sudden action. Sakura reaching out to touch _him_ was just _unexpected._

"I'm alright. I was just…a lot has been surprising me lately," she whispered, pulling his hand away from her face.

"Errhm, well that's okay, I suppose. You got me worried for a second. I thought you caught a fever or…w-well…come on in and settle yourself in a desk," Kakashi stuttered, allowing his student to fly past him.

Kakashi turned himself away from the door, but left it open to welcome any other students that would be soon to arrive. He seated himself in front of his desk and went over his attendance list, wondering about the students he would teach. He scanned through a long list, but surprisingly, he only had eleven students. This was an _advanced_ English class so that was to be expected.

_1. Gaara_

_2. Kankuro_

_3. Deidara_

_4. Sasuke Uchiha_

_5. Sakura Haruno_

The silver-haired teacher took a quick glimpse of his class that was currently full. He skimmed across the room, trying to find that flash of _pink_. Finally, he saw _her._ Sakura was right next to Kankuro and in front of Shikamaru.

_5. Shikamaru Nara_

_6. Neji Hyuuga_

_7. Tenten_

_8. Hanabi Hyuuga  
_

_9. Shino Aburame_

_10. Kiba Inuzuka_

_11. Sasori_

"Alright. My name is Kakashi Hatake," Kakashi announced, "I am your new, official teacher. You shall address me by Mr. Hatake during school hours. Let's begin class, shall we?"

"Yes, Mr. Hatake," the class said, sympathetically.

* * *

_Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"No homework tonight." Kakashi began packing his things as his students filed out of the room, all but Sakura. She was still gathering her things, but apparently, she was taking her time. Kakashi eyed his student, who was slowly trudging toward the door. It was obvious that she was waiting.

"Can I help you, Miss Haruno?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Oh, I was just leaving. Sorry if I'm causing any delay, Mr. Hatake-err Kaka-err…"

Kakashi chuckled quietly and corrected, "Kakashi. It's after school so I will allow you to address me informally."

Sakura grinned embarrassingly and said, "Hm, alright."

Kakashi smiled to himself as he swiped his car keys off his desk. She made all conversations amusing.

The silver-haired teacher turned to the door and found Sakura waiting patiently. He walked toward her and escorted her out. "Is there something you need? You've been hanging around class for a while now. Everyone's going and you—"

She all of a sudden stopped in front of him, causing him to stumble backward, nearly falling on his bottom. "I never…" She paused to blush. "I never thanked you for giving me a ride here. I didn't really need it though."

Kakashi straightened himself and gazed at his student's face. "There's no need to thank me, kid. And I enjoy helping people out sometimes."

Her eyebrow skyrocketed. "Sometimes? So what made you want to…drive me here?"

Kakashi stood still for a moment, trying to grasp onto the answer, but somehow he couldn't. It kept slipping through his fingers like sand.

"I don't know, honestly. I think I just got the urge to…"

"Then that means you're a nice man, Kakashi. There's nothing wrong with it," Sakura assured, "Besides, I think you're my new favorite teacher."

Kakashi's gaze questioned hers. "Oh?"

Sakura smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah. You are pretty lazy and you're easily annoyed too, according to my observations. But I like that in a guy. I don't find those things odd or weird. I find it…cute."

His cheeks reddened and he planted his face into his hand in hope of covering the blush. "Eh, thank you."

Sakura giggled sweetly and innocently, again making him blush.

The two began walking toward the parking lot after a few minutes of embarrassed chuckles, but neither started a conversation. They both felt as if they had spoke enough.

When they reached their destination, they both parted.

Feeling something bubble up in his stomach, he looked over his shoulder. "Wait, Sakura."

She stopped in her tracks and glanced back. "Hm?"

He sheepishly scratched his neck and offered, "Do you need a ride home?"

Sakura smirked, "I'm a big girl, Mr. Hatake. I'm not going to get lost. Trust me, I know my way home."

He felt a bitter frown tugging at his lips. "Hn, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow."

She waved him off and began her journey home. "Later!"

* * *

Sakura pushed the door closed harshly, almost too severely that she heard a muffled thump. She sighed and slouched against the doorway, ignoring the stinging feeling on her back. Today was a_ tiring_ day. She worked her butt off on her projects, finished nearly all of her homework in class, and spoke way too much to her new English teacher, Kakashi Hatake. Usually, teachers and students kept a distance between them, but Kakashi and Sakura broke that distance. In fact, they crossed the borders and took it to the next level. They might even be _friends._ That disturbed the pink-haired girl and began to make her feel more of a _teacher's pet_ than a regular, everyday student.

She couldn't believe she was growing fond of him.

_'He's a teacher, for pete's sake! You just met him today, Sakura. He's a total stranger! Why am I going nuts?'_ Sakura hugged her legs, suddenly feeling a wave of displeasure run straight through her. She took one look of herself and realized that she was going crazy, or at least, she thought she was.

Sakura rose to her feet and strode to the bathroom, needing a quick warm bath. She needed to calm down and relax. She closed the door behind her and began to strip her clothes off. Her outfit and accessories fell to the floor with a thud and she stepped out of the pool of clothing. She sighed heavily as an overwhelming feeling came over her. Sakura quickly twisted the faucet on the tub and watched it fill up with hot, steamy water. She eventually hopped into the tub and let herself sink into the sizzling water.

"Oh god," Sakura breathed as her back slid down the rim. Relaxation sure felt good.

She began to gently rub her body, washing the dirt and scum away. Sakura poured more soap in the bathtub and gathered the newly created bubbles to hide her breasts—she felt as if she needed to be careful, even if she was all alone. The eerie feeling in the atmosphere just frightened her.

Sakura pulled the plug on the bottom and watched the water drain away, until her naked body was fully exposed. She stepped out of the tub and wrapped her body with a thin, long towel. A wisp of coldness brushed against her back, causing her to shudder violently. She forgot how cold it was in her complex.

She speedily scurried into her bedroom to dress. _'Note to self: Every time I come home, turn on the heater first,'_ she thought as she arranged her clothes.

The pink-haired girl slipped on casual clothes instead of pajamas. It wasn't time to go to sleep, but dressing into home wear was always a good thing if you're staying home. But she wasn't staying home. She was going to visit her long-time friend, Naruto Uzumaki, who only lived a few floors away from her. She needed some time with friends. She needed time away from the dwelling that kept her safe and warm. After all, Sakura wanted hang out with her buddies rather than staying in her small apartment, acting like a total nut-head.

She slipped out of her complex, stuck the key into the key-shaped hole, twisted the miscellaneous item, and pulled it out. Sakura slowly stuffed it in her jacket as she began walking to the elevator. A few seconds later, she pulled a her iphone out and dialed Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto."

"Oi, Sakura-chan! What can I do for ya?"

"Can I come over? I need time away from my so-called humble abode."

"Sure, but Hinata's here too. I hope you don't mind."

"Nah, I won't. Thanks!"

"No problem! See you soon!"

"Mm."

Sakura ended the phone call as she pressed the button on the wall, eyes still stuck to the screen. The sound of a bell chiming signified that the elevator arrived and she heard the metallic doors slide open. Sakura happily looked up, but her happiness grew into surprise. Her jaw dropped, along with her phone—luckily it didn't break.

There, in front of her, was Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi?" Sakura gaped as she lowered herself to retrieve her phone.

Kakashi simply stared at her, bewlildered to find her here. "What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"I live here. In Room Ten," she managed to croak.

He let out a frustrated breath. "Well, that's really nice to know!" he stated with an unconvincing smile.

The two exchanged places.

"What do you mean?" she asked, baffled by his words.

He nonchalantly stared at her as he prepared himself to give a full explanation. Suddenly, before he could answer her question, the metal doors began to close in. But Sakura made a hasty decision and slid past it, bumping into him as she made her way out. The two stumbled back and landed on each other, Kakashi slouching against the wall and Sakura settled on top of him.

He glared at his student in disbelief. "Sakura! You could have gotten injured. Maybe even killed!" he scolded.

Sakura rose her head and found herself unbelievably close to his face. "I'm sorry. I was curious."

Kakashi wearily gazed into her emerald eyes. "You must have been extremely curious to have done that," he murmured with misfortune, "Anyways, since you're practically begging for an answer…I moved into Room Eleven."

* * *

A/N: Like I said before, I'm re-editing half of the story. Don't worry, it will still be the same plot and I'm still using some of the same dialogue. I'm just separating paragraphs and fixing my poor mistakes and grammar.


	3. Friends?

**This is Chapter 3 of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

_Recap:_

There, in front of her, was Kakashi Hatake.

"Kakashi?" Sakura gaped as she lowered herself to retrieve her phone.

Kakashi simply stared at her, bewlildered to find her here. "What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"I live here. In Room Ten," she managed to croak.

He let out a frustrated breath. "Well, that's really nice to know!" he stated with an unconvincing smile.

The two exchanged places.

"What do you mean?" she asked, baffled by his words.

He nonchalantly stared at her as he prepared himself to give a full explanation. Suddenly, before he could answer her question, the metal doors began to close in. But Sakura made a hasty decision and slid past it, bumping into him as she made her way out. The two stumbled back and landed on each other, Kakashi slouching against the wall and Sakura settled on top of him.

He glared at his student in disbelief. "Sakura! You could have gotten injured. Maybe even killed!" he scolded.

Sakura rose her head and found herself unbelievably close to his face. "I'm sorry. I was curious."

Kakashi wearily gazed into her emerald eyes. "You must have been extremely curious to have done that," he murmured with misfortune, "Anyways, since you're practically begging for an answer…I moved into Room Eleven."

* * *

"You…what?" Sakura gawked, unsure if she heard him right.

Kakashi sighed and repeated, "I moved into Room Eleven."

The pink-haired girl blinked once, then twice, and finally thrice. This was not a dream. This was not an illusion. This was _reality._

The two quietly rested on each other, ignoring the fact that she was still on him. A lot has been going on just in _one_ day, so they both needed time to think and relax. This wasn't a great time to do it, but might as well do now than never.

Absentmindedly, she settled her chin on his chest. He gazed at his student, surprised to find her _comfortable_ in _his_ arms. He tried shaking her a little in attempt of catching her attention. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that her mind was elsewhere.

She was deep in thought, thinking about how weird it was to have a teacher as a _neighbor._ She never expected to have a professor living right next to her, and it was indeed shocking. But then again, it could be a great experience.

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl focused her eyes on Kakashi's face, remembering that they were only a few inches apart. "Hm?" she mumbled, still trying to put her thoughts in order.

"Can we…like s-straighten up a little?" he suggested nervously, his voice nearly cracking under pressure.

The teenage girl violently shook her head and replied, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…lie on you."

He began to pull himself up, and so did she. The act of their simultaneous actions merely resulted in them collapsing onto one another again. On the second attempt, he allowed her to get up first before he did. Everything worked out in the end, but it was still a tad bit awkward.

"So…you live here now, huh?" she whispered as she dusted the dirt off her pants.

Kakashi sighed then bent down to be eye-leveled with his student. "I know you're shocked. Just don't repeat the same question. Not to be rude, but it's annoying me. And I already said yes before, did I not?" he bluntly said.

His breath bounced off of her face, sending chills running up and down her spine. Pulling everything together, she apologized, "I-I am terribly sorry for causing all of this trouble. I'm reckless, I know, but I can't help it."

He chuckled quietly and patted her on the head. "Sakura, I don't really consider it as a major problem, to be honest," he assured, "Besides, I think you made everything better."

"What do you mean I made it better? How could everything that I did be good?" she wondered aloud.

He smiled sadly and whispered, "You're the only person who tries to be nice to me. I was always lonely and had very few friends. Then you came along. Somehow, your personality influenced me."

Her lips slowly curved into a grin. "Well, that's how I am, Mr. Ha-" She paused, noticing the stern look in her teacher's eyes. "Kakashi," she finished. Somehow, she managed to prevent a string of frustrated curses from leaving her mouth.

"Well, I have to head back and grade your class' papers. I'm guessing you have somewhere to go too," he announced, turning his back on his student.

Sakura suddenly remembered that she had told Naruto she'd be over. "You guessed right," she murmured as she rapidly and continuously pressed the button on the wall.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Haruno." Kakashi waved her off and entered his complex, leaving her all alone once again.

* * *

Sakura slowly trudged down the hallway, readily approaching Naruto's apartment. She was very tired but she has to prepare herself for a bunch of questions that Naruto would surely ask.

She finally reached his apartment complex, Room Five, and knocked three times. The door slowly creaked open, then a yellow-headed boy poked his head out, scaring the pink-haired girl. "Oh, Sakura-chan! There you are! You're nearly twenty minutes late!" he exclaimed, allowing her in.

Sakura plopped onto his couch and felt herself sink into the soft, cold cushion. "Well, I accidentally bumped into someone and caused some trouble," she explained, trying to avoid the details.

Naruto nodded and asked, "Who?"

She sighed, "Kakashi Hatake, a.k.a, Mr. Hatake."

Naruto gasped and squealed, "Mr. Hatake?"

She confirmed his question with a bob of her head.

The teenage boy turned to face the kitchen and gestured toward a slim, raven-haired figure. "Hinata, do you know Mr. Hatake?"

The young girl shook her head and replied, "Yes, but I don't have him for Language Arts."

"Oh."

Sakura hung her head, feeling a pang of embarrassment shoot through her gut. Oh how it hurt…

"Sakura-chan, what did you do?"

"I just bumped into him."

"But what did he say?"

"Naruto, wh-"

"Please tell us? We won't say a word."

"Ehh..."

Sakura hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should tell Naruto and Hinata the rest of the story. It all went by too fast, as if someone took a remote and fast-forwarded it. Only a small amount of images stuck to her brain: The moment where she bumped into him and the moment when she saw a blush creep onto _his_ face.

"Well," she began, wisely putting her words together, "I found out he lives in Room Eleven." Hinata's eyes suddenly deepened with curiosity.

"R-Really?" she stuttered.

"Yeah."

"Wow, that's intense Sakura-chan!"

"Intense?"

"Well, that news probably caused you much surprise and…maybe _excited_ you," he teased.

"I was _not_ enthralled," insisted Sakura, "Don't judge people's feelings so quickly, dope!"

"No, don't hit me! Sakura-chan!"

"Oh gee, Naruto. It's y-your fault for starting the conflict."

"See? Hinata agrees with me!"

"Okay okay! I get it!" wailed Naruto.

Hinata stifled a giggle. "So any other stuff that we should know about?"

"Well, I'll have you know that he's a pretty nice guy…and I think we're _friends_."

* * *

Reviews are Appreciated

A/N: Sorry if the chapters seem shorter. If I add anything else on, it might ruin the whole plot of the story.


	4. Invitation

Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto

* * *

It was another cold, snowy day in Konoha. Adults were scattered about, hurrying to get to their jobs, while children scurried to school. There was a harsh snow storm today, causing delay on nearly every street, but the people of Konoha didn't give up. There was only one thing to do. Ignore it. Winter was just one of those seasons where people were just too busy to notice anything else going on around them. Winter was just one of those seasons where everyone worked their ass off.

_Tap! Tap! Tap! Knock! _

A pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly fluttered open, awakening to the sound of knocking on her door. She slowly rose, still exhausted from the previous day. Sakura rubbed her eyes, making an attempt to shake the drowsiness out of her. It didn't work.

_Knock! Knock!_

"I'll be there in a few minutes!" Sakura called out, throat dry. The nineteen-year old girl jumped off of bed and lazily dragged herself toward the bathroom. She flung the door open, but did not close it due to how tired she was. Sakura stumbled toward the sink and twisted the faucet. She watched the water speed up as it spat out of the sink, then cupped her hands. She filled her hands up with cold, freezing water until it lapped over her thumbs, then splashed it at her face. A sudden bolt of energy surged in her body, fully awakening her.

_Knock! _

"Just a sec!" Sakura shouted from across the room, running her fingers through her hair. She quickly, but neatly, tied her hair into an updo, then skidded out of the bathroom. The pink-haired girl sped her pace up, feeling as if the visitor was getting impatient. Just before the person shot another knock on the door, Sakura reached and swung the door open, only to find Kakashi Hatake waiting at the entrance.

"Kakashi?" she gasped, surprised to find him knocking on her door.

Kakashi confusingly gazed at Sakura. "Eh, why aren't you dressed for college?"

She looked at herself then averted her attention back at her English professor. "What do you mean? It's only five in the morning," she yawned.

Kakashi shook his head. "So you didn't know," he murmured. "

Didn't know what?"

"The snow storm today caused a power outage. It's actually seven o' clock, Sakura."

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh no! I gotta dress."

Kakashi nodded, pointing at her sleep wear. "Nice pajamas, by the way. Pink all over…I suppose you have a pink bedroom too?" he teased.

"Ugh, I'll have you know my bedroom is red! And pink's not my favorite color either, if that's your assumption," she muttered selflessly, "Anyways, why are you here?"

He rose a hand to his head and sheepishly scratched it. "Well, the snow storm is still going on so I thought I should drive you to school, since it's safer."

She smiled slightly. "Well, in that case, come on in and make yourself comfortable while you wait for me. Help yourself to the fridge, too. That is, if you haven't had breakfast," she laughed silently.

He rolled his single eye and let himself in. He didn't really want to intrude on her, but he didn't want to wait outside in the cold and he sure didn't feel like staying in the comfort of his home. Hers felt much warmer and welcoming, now that he thought about it.

Sakura scurried to her bedroom to change while he seated himself on her couch. The silver-haired man looked at his surroundings, curious about her apartment style. It was modern, but the weird thing was that it wasn't all too girly, which surprised him. The last couple of feminine apartments he visited had many feminine-like items, like a fustian carpet or a pot of flowers. Comparing the other complexes to hers, Sakura's was very different. Cleaner than his and that's for sure.

Kakashi leaned his head against a pillow. He was exhausted, drowsy, tired, and _not_ full of energy. He didn't get any sleep last night. His mind was haunted from the images of _Sakura Haruno_. Kakashi couldn't help but to think about her. She was an intriguing young girl that has a plentiful amount of friends, including him. The many moments they had together yesterday bothered him. The memories had poked and prodded at his brain, which had brought many painful headaches. She was not only a student toward him, she was also his _friend._ And he barely had any friends. He was usually lonely and always wanted to be, but somehow, _something_ told him to drive her that day. That's when everything _changed. _And now, he doesn't even know why he offers to drive her to school. Was it growing as a habit?_  
_

Kakashi turned his head to face the kitchen. An odd, but tasty scent filled his nostrils, nearly plugging it with goodness. His eyes suddenly grew wider, feeling a wave of energy surging through him. Coffee. That was the smell. Coffee. The good, morning drink that _always_ woke him up from a hard day of work. Coffee. He _needed_ it.

Kakashi struggled to his feet, legs numb from the cold, but finally managed to stand up a moment later. He then trudged toward the kitchen with ease. Luckily, there wasn't a door toward it like in his apartment. Sakura's kitchen was exposed to the living room, which took a liking in Kakashi's interest.

The silver-haired teacher found the coffee machine and began to make coffee. He soon realized that it was recently used and had spilled a little near the sink. Kakashi cleaned the little puddle up, then continued brewing the coffee. The aroma soon filled the air and eventually snuck into Sakura's bedroom, where she was nearly done dressing…

Sakura slowly slipped her black coat on, the last of her clothing that was needed to wear. She buttoned it, bottom to top, stopping halfway on her chest to show very little cleavage. Suddenly, a wisp of energy shot past her nose, immediately catching her attention. Sakura shot her head up and gazed toward the door. Was Kakashi making something? But in order to find out, she had to exit the comfort of her bedroom. And she did.

She stopped halfway in the living room, stunned to find Kakashi making coffee for not only himself, but for her too. "How did you know I like coffee?"

Kakashi spun around to find Sakura striding toward him. He smiled confusingly and mumbled, "Lucky guess?"

The pink-haired girl leaned against her counter-top and watched Kakashi pour the dark, brown liquid into two mugs. Kakashi handed her one cup and she happily accepted it. "Thanks, but why?" she laughed, softly blowing on her drink.

"It's the only thing that wakes me up in the morning," Kakashi murmured, his mouth full of the boiling refreshment.

"But why did you make me one?" Sakura added, rephrasing her original question.

"Because this is your house and I don't want to be a burden," Kakashi gurgled.

"You're not a burden," Sakura assured, leaning closer to her teacher, "I was talking to Naruto and Hinata yesterday. They don't have you for English, but they think you seem pretty nice."Sakura managed to hide a frown from him. If she could recall correctly, she and the two made a super secret swear to not tell anyone about the incident.

Kakashi mouth curved into a smirk at the thought of Sakura talking about him to her friends. Naughty little girl.

"We should get going soon," Kakashi announced, finishing the last drop of his coffee.

She nodded in agreement as she reached to put her mug in the sink and he mimicked her action.

Kakashi and Sakura left the building and mushed across the snow, trying to get to Kakashi's blue mustang. "Ah!" The silver-haired twisted to the side in response from hearing a small yelp from his student. He only found Sakura stuck in a mound of ice, her body bent over a smaller pile.

"I'm…s-stuck, Mr. Hatake," she groaned as she barbarically threw her arms around her.

He chuckled to himself as he carefully came to the rescue. "I'm coming," he called out, nearly at his destination. Finally, he reached his pink-haired student and began pulling her out of the snow. Sakura laughed repeatedly as Kakashi grasped onto her and pulled. The two both looked like total fools. Actually, more like children.

"Sakura, the snow is too deep. Can't you dig some snow away?" Kakashi complained, struggling to free his student.

"School starts at nine! Come on! Besides, I can't dig. I have no gloves." Sakura pleaded, legs halfway out of the mound.

She was right. She didn't have any gloves, and if she did dig, she would get a frostbite.

The silver-haired man sighed and heaved again, successfully retrieving her. The two flew back and rolled over each other, almost bumping into the hood of the car.

The world around them finally slowed down and Kakashi found Sakura lying on top of him, giggling softly with her eyes cringed happily and her lips curved into a great smile. Her cheeks were tinted red, almost rosy, and some flakes of snow were on the ends of her pink curly locks.

He grinned as he watched his student try to seize her laughter. Her laughing began to slow to a small chuckle, and then held to a halt. Sakura's eyelids fluttered open and her gaze immediately flew to his face. Humiliation suddenly flared behind her eyes and he noticed that she was embarrassed.

"I'm sorry for acting childish, Mr. Hatake. I just—"

"You just love the snow…" he finished for her, his single onyx eye softening.

A grin wrenched itself onto her lips. "Yes, I love the snow."

"Hm, what a coincidence. So do I."

She laughed at his comment. "Great."

The two stayed still in their position, comfortable and warm in each others' arms. Their breathing eventually synchronized, and their heart beats as well. After a few seconds, Sakura sat up, breaking the shared heat between them. Kakashi rose as well and propped himself up with his arms.

He took an uneasy breath in. He had never let anyone come this close to him in his life but his family, who was now only a speck of dust in life. Kakashi sadly looked at Sakura and saw her itching to speak. He dismissed the odd experience and allowed her to talk.

"This is the last week until Winter Break," she whispered, voice soft, "Then comes Christmas, then comes New Years"

Her hands slowly slid to her thighs and he watched with interest. But knowing that he isn't permitted to think about a student sexually, he pushed the dirty thoughts away and concentrated on her face, rather than her gorgeous, slim curves…Shit, there he goes again.

"Christmas…New Years…I haven't been to one of those parties for two years now," he murmured, mentally cursing at himself at the same time.

Sakura uncomfortably shifted in her position. "So why don't you come to my Christmas party on Friday evening?" she offered.

"But wouldn't I be the _only_ teacher there?" he asked embarrassingly.

"No. I invited Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Kurenai, Anko, Guy, and Tsunade too. They all accepted the invitation."

"Why are you doing these things?" he unexpectedly asked.

"What do you mean, Kakashi?"

"Why are you doing such nice things for me?"

"…" Silence momentarily consumed the conversation.

"Why do you even care about me?"

"Kaka-"

"Why do you want me to come to the party? I don't get it."

"Wai-"

"I don't get how someone, like you, could be friends with a stubborn, awkward man as myself. Are we even friends?"

He eventually realized that he was rambling about his most darkest emotions and zipped his lips shut. He clenched his jaw. He shouldn't have questioned her in the first place. What he should have done was gladly thank her for the invitation and accept it.

"Kakashi," she stated worriedly, "I do this stuff because I really care about you. I choose to do this because I want to make a friend. I want to be one of your greatest friends, to be honest."

He stiffened at her statement.

"You're a great man. You're a great teacher. And I don't want you to reject my offer. I want you to accept it."

The silver-haired man gazed at her peachy face and said, "I guess I can go. But right now we have to-"

"Head to school?" she interrupted teasingly. "I totally agree, so shall we head off?"

"Hm," he hummed, "of course. Now get in the car before you catch a cold or something."

Kakashi stood up and brushed the flakes of snow off, then got in his vehicle with Sakura trailing right behind him. The storm was still raging on. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as before. Now Kakashi and Sakura could arrive on time at The Leaf University without any precautions.

* * *

The car doors were slammed shut.

"Thanks for…driving me again," she thanked as she slung her backpack onto one shoulder.

"No problem, Sakura. Head off to your first class now. I don't want you being tardy. It would be my responsibility if you do," he replied with practiced nonchalance.

Sakura smiled slightly and headed off to Genma's class, Life Science.

Kakashi watched her disappear into the stormy, thick fog. A few minutes later, he began walking down the aisle in Building B. He tried focusing his mind on his schedule today but failed miserably just trying to. That damn child's image kept popping up like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Her sweet, kind personality shook and flipped his heart over every time he saw her. Whenever she showed up, he would actually _try_ to be nice and not act selfless and gruff. Whenever she offered something, he would _try_ to reject it but her smile just made decisions harder. And now that she invited him for the Christmas party, he felt even more uncomfortable.

Being close to her most of the time was just unusual.

First, they started out as acquaintances.

Then they moved directly into the teacher-student relationship.

And now, they're actual friends.

Of course, he was wondering how in the hell all of this happened.

* * *

A/N: Again, there aren't many changes. I'm just spacing things out, editing a few paragraphs, and changing a few vocabulary words. The plot is still the same and always will be, so don't freak out.

Reviews are Appreciated


	5. Hospital Rush

**A/N: I tried to make this better and detailed and such, so I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**This chapter mentions Rin only in one small section. (I don't know if Rin died when she was a kid or if she is still alive, but just read)  
**

**

* * *

**Sakura slugged down the hallway in Building B, exhausted and unusually tired. Headaches kept shooting at her from every direction, beating her brain down to a fit, her face kept burning like fire, and her spine tingled every once in a while. She was unbelievably tired, and didn't know how or when she did. But the only thing that mattered was getting to her last class on time. The only thing that mattered was getting the last period over with and head home.

Sakura stopped in front of the door, feeling a slight weakness in her knees. She trembled slightly, but pushed it away and pulled the door open. The slick, white door creaked open and exposed Kakashi sitting behind his desk, waiting for the last few students to arrive. Sakura began to pull herself toward her desk, but suddenly slammed her hand against the wall beside her, feeling a terrible headache coming on. Kakashi looked up from his papers, noticing the slightly loud thump. When his eyes reached Sakura, his heart sank and chills ran up his ribs. He began to feel worry growing in him, as well as everyone else in the class. Kakashi stood up and strode over to his pink-haired student, who was making an attempt to trudge toward the open seat.

Before Sakura sat down, Kakashi shot his arm forward, stopping her from moving. Sakura gazed up at him, but quickly shut her eyes, due to another brain-shaking pain. Kakashi's visible eye suddenly grew weary.

"Miss Haruno, are you alright?" he asked, stepping in front of his student. Sakura didn't reply. She tried to, but her throat suddenly grew dry. "Sakura?"

Students began to watch intently at the scene occurring before them.

Kakashi sighed and repeated, "Sakura, are you alright?" The pink-haired girl didn't answer. Her eyes were squeezed shut and it looked as if she was gritting her teeth. Kakashi's worry grew to a higher level. Sakura wasn't replying nor doing anything, and it frightened him.

All of a sudden, the girl collapsed to the ground, still conscious. The silver-haired teacher reacted quickly and bent down beside her. He gazed at her face and realized she was sweating terribly and veins started to pop out. The teacher placed his hand on her forehead, then neck.

Her skin was unbelievably hot and moist from sweat. This can only mean...

She has the flu.

"Sasori. Sasuke. Go to the principle's office immediately and report this to Tsunade and the school nurse. Hurry." ordered Kakashi, eyes stuck on the girl's face. Sasori and Sasuke did what they were told and quickly rushed out the door. Everyone's attention was on Sakura. Everyone was worried. Everyone was scared. Especially Kakashi.

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Sakura, you there?" The pink-haired girl slowly nodded in response. "Can you breathe?" Sakura nodded once again. Kakashi sucked a deep breath in. "What happened?" he asked, rubbing circles on her back, hoping it would decrease the tension in her. She lifted her shoulders up and dropped it. She didn't know what happened.

The silver-haired man looked up at his class, face full of worry. "Shikamaru?" Shikamaru's gaze locked with Kakashi's. "Hn?"

"Doesn't your mother make medicine for the ill?" asked Kakashi.

Shikamaru shrugged and replied, "Yeah. She's a nurse. Is there anything you want me to do?"

Kakashi nodded vigorously and said, "Yes. I want you to call her and ask her to whip something up for Sakura."

The black-haired boy's eyes suddenly hardened and grew cold. "Okay. But one more thing I want to ask."

Kakashi kept his gaze at Shikamaru, waiting patiently for his question.

"Will she be okay? Is she...really _that_ bad?" Shikamaru continued, sheepishly rubbing the cold spot on his neck. Kakashi's head dropped. "She seems to be in a bad condition, and I'm not a doctor or anything, but it looks like she caught a flu. We won't know if she's okay until the nurse comes." he explained. Shikamaru said nothing in response.

After a few moments, the nurse and the principle scurried in, along with the two students that Kakashi had sent.

"What happened?" the nurse asked, quickly equipping her equipment. "Her temperature seems pretty high and she is shaking violently," replied Kakashi, rising to his feet, "How is she, Rin?" Rin sighed in disappointment and whispered to Sakura, "Stand up, honey." The purple-haired woman helped Sakura rise to her feet then said, "She has a flu. Nothing major, but someone should rush her to the hospital." Kakashi's eyes drooped onto Sakura, then to Tsunade, the principle.

"I will," he offered. Rin gasped and shook her head. "What about your class, Mr. Hatake?"

Tsunade stepped forward, with a small sad smile. "I think that it is _okay_ for Mr. Hatake to drive his student to the hospital. In fact, I think it is really generous of him. I will allow it." Kakashi rose an eyebrow in surprise, shocked from how soft Tsunade's heart grew.

"But who will teach my class?" Kakashi asked, wrapping his arm around Sakura, keeping her steady on foot. "I can allow this class to be dismissed just for today. But I want _one_ student to follow Mr. Hatake, for safety and _other_ reasons." Tsunade explained, placing her hand in front of her.

"I want to go."

The three adults turned toward a black-haired student, who was now standing.

"Shikamaru?" Kakashi mumbled, confusingly. "I want to go because...she's a _really_ good friend of mine. Besides, I could help pass my mom's medicine around." Shikamaru said, walking toward the two. Kakashi scratched his head confusingly and murmured, "Alright. Come on, kid."

* * *

The walk to Kakashi's mustang took quite a while, due to Sakura's lack of energy. It took a lot of effort for Kakashi to help her walk and was relieved when they finally reached his car. Shikamaru simply laughed at this, for it was amusing to him.

The silver-haired man seated Sakura in the back seat, then settled himself into the driver's seat. Shikamaru sat in the passenger's seat, to afraid to have Sakura leaning all over him like a desperate girl.

Kakashi began to drive, but continuously took quick glimpses of his pink-haired student, to make sure if she was okay. Shikamaru, finally taking notice, sighed, snatching his LA teacher's attention.

"Kakashi," Shikamaru began, forgetting to call him by his last name, "Why do you keep looking at Sakura? You're eventually going to crash or something. Maybe this is why Tsunade wanted a student to come?"

Kakashi let a harsh sigh out and replied, "I'm just worried, Shikamaru. It's just...She's more than a student to me." "A friend, maybe?" Shikamaru guessed, rolling a marble in his hand. Kakashi nodded slowly. "Yeah. She _wanted_ to be friends with me and somehow, she made me her friend." he whispered. Shikamaru crinkled his nose in confusion, but decided that he shouldn't interrogate his teacher. After all, Kakashi did hate confessions, especially when he was doing the confessing.

The group of three continued their journey to the hospital in _absolute_ silence. Eventually, they reached the hospital and began departing from the car...

Kakashi nudged Sakura, to see if she was awake. She was.

"Where are we, Kakashi?" Sakura slurred, blinking a couple of times. Kakashi frowned and whispered, "We're at the hospital. Can you walk?" Sakura coughed, then her eyelids clasped together. She then shook her head violently. "I feel my joints weakening. Am I...dying?" she mumbled, tone jumbled and mixed. The silver-haired teacher grunted, realizing that she was growing unconscious.

Shikamaru suddenly poked his teacher and scoffed, "Do something, Kakashi. We gotta get her to the emergency room before she _actually_ dies." Kakashi's eyes furrowed as he closed his visible eye to think. Suddenly, he took the pink-haired girl into his arms and lifted her up to his chest, cradling her like a new-born baby. Shikamaru rose an eyebrow in surprise, but smiled in amusement. "I guess you can do that," he said, in a mocking tone. "There was no other option, kiddo," Kakashi mumbled, embarrassingly.

The two men hurriedly strode to the hospital, Sakura in Kakashi's arms. Kakashi quickly gazed at Sakura, who was nearly passed out. Her eyes were slightly open and stuck on his face. "Thank you," she whispered, almost too quiet for him to hear. Kakashi simply smiled in response. "You'll be alright, Sakura. Just hang in, there."

The three barged into the lobby, catching attention from every direction. But what mattered right now was getting Sakura to the emergency room. Shikamaru stomped to the nurse's desk, cutting and pushing through everyone in line. "Miss, can you take my friend into the emergency room? She has a terrible flu and needs help right away." Shikamaru demanded, ignoring the complaints from other patients. The nurse sat still, completely shocked and frightened from his attitude. Shikamaru sighed then growled, "I suggest you hurry before she passes out. _Please_?"

The lady quickly arranged a team of doctors and nurses and attended to Sakura's need for care. Kakashi and Shikamaru watched the medics place her on a gurney and strap her down. The two worriedly glared at Sakura, who was now unconscious. The silver-haired man suddenly let out a painful, tiny grunt, nearly capturing Shikamaru's attention.

Kakashi had the need to be by her, for her sake.

Kakashi had the need to be by her side and comfort her.

Kakashi had the need to do _everything _that a friend would do for another.

But why? That question could not be answered, though, because he did not know why.

* * *

_Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!_

The silver-haired man kept his gaze on the ground, unable to look or speak to Shikamaru, who was silently sitting beside him.

_Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!_

Kakashi let out a harsh breath and adjusted his position, so his head would be leaning back against the wall.

_Tick!_

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.

_Tock!_

But that was impossible. His mind was _full_ of thoughts.

_Tap!_

The English teacher turned his head toward his black-haired student, finally noticing that he was trying to get his attention. He then straightened himself and locked his eyes with Shikamaru's.

"Is there something you want?" he grumbled, running his fingers through his hair, nearly exposing his right eye. Shikamaru nodded slowly and said, "_You_. What is wrong with you?" Kakashi didn't reply. "Are you okay?" asked Shikamaru. Kakashi shrugged and answered, "I don't know, really." Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"It's a bunch of worries. It's a bunch of thoughts. I can't really describe it because I haven't felt it in a long time. I've never been this worried about someone in my life." Kakashi explained, wisely arranging his words.

Shikamaru chuckled quietly and began to fumble with his marble again. "Ha, that's what she can do to you."

"What?" Kakashi blinked twice, not understanding his statement. "Sakura. This is what she can do to us. She is so nice and caring that it makes us develop feelings for her. Friendship, to be precise." rephrased Shikamaru. The silver-haired man rolled his shoulders, removing the arising tension. Was he actually growing emotional about her?

"I-erhm-Okay," he gurgled, still unsure of the friendship concept. Shikamaru took notice in this, but decided to ignore it for now. He didn't want or felt like explaining anything. After all, he was a lazy, ignorant boy.

The two men quietly waited in the waiting room for a few more minutes until Shikamaru's mother finally exited the patient's room.

"Oh, Shikamaru. Honey, why are you here?" she asked, removing her gaze from her clipboard. "Mom," Shikamaru groaned, "I'm here because Mr. Hatake and I brought Sakura here." His mother opened her mouth and silently whispered, "Oh." Kakashi suddenly stood up and walked toward Mrs. Nara, in an impatient manner.

"How is my student, Mrs. Nara?" he asked, rubbing the cold spot on his neck. Shikamaru's mother checked her clipboard and began checking her tasks off. "She is fine. She will be out of the hospital by tomorrow, but I suggest that she should stay home for another day or two." she explained, eyes stuck to her papers. The silver-haired man sighed in relief and brushed some hair strands away. "What's her condition?" he continued, feeling as if he was asking too much. Mrs. Nara glared at her collected information and replied, "The flu will go away by tomorrow. She is unconscious but might wake up in less than an hour. You are able to visit her, now." Kakashi nodded in response as Shikamaru stepped up to align himself with his teacher.

"Thanks, mom. Did you make extras? Of the pill?"

"Yes, hun. Now I'll be off. Have a nice day, you two."

Shikamaru and Kakashi watched Mrs. Nara disappear around the corner, then entered the patient room, only to find Sakura comfortably resting on a hospital bed.

The two walked toward her and sat beside the bed, watching her chest rise and fall. A moment passed, and then seconds, and then minutes. Soon, it was ten minutes since they've been observing her.

The black-haired boy pushed his chair back and strode toward the door and yanked it open, leaving Kakashi in total wonder. Before he exited, he murmured, "I have to take a leak. I'll be back in a few minutes." The student trudged out, Kakashi still by Sakura's side.

The two were finally alone...

* * *

_Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!_

Kakashi slapped his face into the palm of his hands, feeling a slight pain in his brain. A headache.

_Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!_

Kakashi took another glimpse of Sakura through the cracks of his fingers. She was still sleeping peacefully.

_Tick! Tock!_

He suddenly grunted and began whispering to Sakura. He needed to let it all out...

_Tick!_

"Sakura, I'm sorry. It's my fault for getting you sick."

_Tock!_

"It's probably because of me. I accidentally made you roll in the snow today._"_

_Tick!_

"It was awfully cold this morning...an-and you probably caught the flu from the snow..."

_Tock!_

"I think I made you suffer."

Kakashi seized his whispering, feeling as if he spoke too much about his personal thoughts. He never poured his deepest thoughts out on someone, especially at a time like this, but he needed to talk to her. He needed to apologize to her. Kakashi knew it was _his_ fault for getting her sick. Kakashi knew it was _his_ fault for making her suffer. He just needed to relieve his mind of emotions...

The silver-haired teacher gazed at Sakura and watched her chest rise and fall under the covers of the bed. His hand suddenly trickled down her arm and reached her hand, but immediately stopped, realizing what he was doing.

No.

No. Inappropriate. Thoughts.

Kakashi let his eyes wander around the room, in attempt to shake the unnecessary and inappropriate thoughts away. But he found nothing that would keep him busy. This room was just a plain, average-looking hospital room full of appliances and tools needed by doctors, medics, and nurses.

Suddenly, a small croak rang in Kakashi's ears. He tilted his head to the side and found Sakura awake, eyes stuck onto him.

"Kakashi?" she whispered, eyes trying to widen. Her vision was blurred and fogged, making it seem as if she was in heaven. But she knew she was alive and not dead.

Kakashi smiled sadly and said, "I'm here." Sakura managed to smile back, raising her teacher's spirits up. "Hospital?" she murmured, unable to speak as much. Kakashi nodded and scratched the back of his ear. "How are you?" The pink-haired girl shrugged, creating ripples on the bed sheets. "Pretty good. Sleepy, I guess."

The silver-haired man laughed quietly and said, "That's good."

Sakura kept her gaze on Kakashi, adoring the shine on his skin. She was admiring his dark, lustful eyes. She was admiring his slick, spiky hair. She was admiring his fit, muscular body. Sakura never thought about him in this situation, but if felt good. A little awkward, but good. It helped release tension that always built up inside of her.

Kakashi, seeming to notice the big amount of attention he was receiving, sighed and whispered, "It's my fault." Sakura rose and eyebrow in confusion, finally awakening from her daydream. "What do you mean?" she asked, unsure of his statement. "It's my fault that you're sick," he murmured, head dropping to the floor. "No," assured Sakura, "it's not." Kakashi shook his head in disagreement.

"I pulled you out of the snow...made you roll in it...it was cold...I-" The English teacher paused, unsure of how to arrange his words and sentences. At the moment, everything was too hard to explain.

Sakura slowly sat up, letting the thin blanket fall to her waist, exposing her slim body. She was only wearing a spaghetti strap (and of course a bra, underneath), which took a liking in Kakashi's interest, but felt unbelievably disturbing.

"So what if you got me sick? I'm just glad you and Shikamaru brought me here for care." said Sakura, happily. Kakashi frowned and mumbled, "How would you feel if I didn't bring you?"

"Don't care. You guys _are_ my friends, so it doesn't really matter who brought me. I only care if _you _care."

The silver-haired teacher suddenly coughed into the sleeve of his shirt, shocked from her response. She was definitely a different person, but in a good way. And Kakashi liked that. A different person meant great things in the future. A lot of great things...

Sakura grinned, but her lips twitched as she made an effort to, which _absolutely _caught Kakashi's attention. "Rest, now. Your energy is lacking, again." ordered Kakashi, helping Sakura settle back into her bed. "Okay," she whispered, nestling her head onto the pillow. His lips curved into a slight smile as he watched her snuggle against the bed sheets.

"Get better, kiddo," Kakashi murmured, "Get better..."

The teacher heard a small rustling noise outside the door, awakening him from thought, but ignored it, thinking it was only a doctor passing by.

But it wasn't.

It was actually _Shikamaru Nara_, who was carefully watching the scene through the rectangle-paneled window on the door. He has been observing the two ever since he came back from the bathroom, which was quite a while ago, and was surprised because Kakashi had not noticed his long absence.

Shikamaru leaned against the door and sighed, feeling somewhat awkward. It was like something loomed over him and possessed him, like a ghoul or a ghost. Something cast a shadow on him and made him think deeply about _them._

Them-Sakura and Kakashi-seemed to have an odd relationship. Something different that Shikamaru had _never_ seen. It was _more_ than friendship. It was _more_ than a mere emotion.

Shikamaru then knew what the possibility could be.

_Love._

_'Love could come between the two...'_

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**That is all for this chapter. I hope you liked it! **

**Hey, I know I like to skip a lot of details like Sakura's other classes and stuff...but I'm a lazy person and I try to stay on one topic. But in this case, this story may have many topics, so you may see other details that don't include KakaSaku later on.**

**Nice Feedback/Reviews are appreciated!**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	6. Kakashi's Pain

**A/N: I appreciate all of your feedback/reviews! They are all helping me make a better story! So I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks to all!**

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**Little flakes of snow began trickling down the sky, landing and piling on the ground of Konoha. Soon, mounds of soft ice leveled itself with the curbs of the streets. Then, a bright yellow ball loomed over a nearby hill, sending beams of morning light everywhere. Finally, the sound of people filled the atmosphere, bringing hearth into the village.

It all started out as a beautiful day...

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A soft yawn echoed in the room, small rustling noises synchronizing with it.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A silver-haired man rose to his feet, awakening to the sound of an alarm. He carefully balanced himself on foot, a slight weakness arising. Eventually, he lined his index-finger on a thin, rectangular button and pressed it, seizing the beeping.

Kakashi stretched his arms out, trying to relieve himself of tension and stiffness. He was still exhausted from yesterday: The day when he and Shikamaru rushed Sakura to a hospital. Her weight had put pain in his shoulders, but holding her against his chest felt glorious and somewhat angelic. But seeing her in such a bad condition brought his self-esteem down, especially when it was _his_ fault for getting her ill.

Another thing that pained him was sorting things out with his black-haired student, Shikamaru Nara. The young, teenage boy had asked him many questions, such as "She woke up, didn't she?" or "What did you tell her?" and "Anything interesting happened?" They were all too difficult to explain, therefore Kakashi didn't reply. He only responded with a lazy shrug and a confused blink. But he knew this didn't shake Shikamaru away, but was just glad he laid off from interrogating. Kakashi now has to be more careful about his emotion control...

The silver-haired man trudged to the bathroom and began to strip his clothes off. Soon, a pile of clothing pooled around his feet, but stepped out of the circle and into the shower. Kakashi twisted the faucet and waited against the wall, trying to avoid the cold, freezing water. He could have started it before he came in, but had forgot to, due to the lack of energy and thought.

Eventually, the water heated itself and grew warm, good enough to bathe in. Kakashi stepped into the rain of the shower and began washing his hair. His fingers tangled and glided through his slick, silver hair strands, untangling knots and twists. He then washed the white-coated bubbles and let it drip to his feet. Finally, his exposed, nude body was drained from all muck and scum. His skin began to shine brightly under the faded light in the room, nearly blinding him.

Kakashi stood still under the downpour of water, pondering deeply about his friends and family. He hasn't seen his family for a long time, but never will again. His father had taken his own soul, using life-threatening materials, when the silver-haired man was only a child. His mother died a week after, but there was no evidence of murder and such. He didn't have any siblings. It was just himself...then Obito came along. But he risked his life and ended up losing it for _him_. Kakashi lost everyone he loved. Kakashi lost everyone he cared for. From that moment on, his heart grew cold and decided to hide in the shadows. But now...he has _her._ And many other people who began to care, which fished his life-source out of the darkened waters...

The silver-haired man settled his hands on the tiled walls and let his head drop. He had a lonely life. He had a life that was full of despair and need. But now...he has _her. _Sakura Haruno. An odd, cheerful girl who loves her friends and family...

Kakashi seized the downpour of rain with a small twist on the faucet, then turned to exit the shower. He stepped out of the tiled, slick floor and onto the warm, soft rug. He let the small drops of water slid down his torso and slip past his uncovered arousal. Then, Kakashi snatched a towel from a nearby rack and draped it around his waist, only leaving the upper body exposed to the light. The man strode toward the sink and paused to look at his reflection.

He glared at the mirror before him, observing his facial looks. His eye seemed dreary and dark, as if he just witnessed a pitiful death. His face was pale, as usual, but had a slight rosy color to it.

Kakashi sighed and lifted his hand to his hair, then pushed it away from his right eye. He stared at his reflection, angrily and huskily looking at his red-coated eye. His right eye was similar to the left, but the pupil was crimson and had black teardrops surrounding it. It was an ugly, disturbing sight indeed, but it was a special memorial of his childhood. His friends. His family. It was something important to keep.

Kakashi let his silver, ruffled hair droop back into place and walked out the bathroom, then prepared his everyday-average clothes for his career as a teacher.

* * *

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"No homework. I'll see you all in two weeks. Have a nice Winter Break."

The silver-haired man began to pile and shuffle his papers together, trying to clump them all together. Then, he placed them on the corner of his desk and pushed his chair back, so he would be able to stand up. The man rose to his feet and slipped his coat on, hiding his well-toned, muscular body that bled through his ruffled long-sleeved shirt. He then began walking toward the door, but something shot out and pulled him back, nearly making him fall. When the force ended, he spun himself around, only to find Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno, who was holding onto his arm, waiting patiently in front of him.

He sighed and gravely looked into his students eyes. He was waiting for a statement of some sort, and they realized this soon after.

Sakura released her hand from his wrist and whispered, "Are you coming to my apartment tomorrow?"

Kakashi blinked once, then twice, and finally, thrice. He had forgotten about the party. The Christmas Party. He had forgotten that he was invited.

The silver-haired teacher curved his eyebrows inward and murmured, "I don't know if I should, kids. I-"

Sakura's eyes suddenly hardened, nearly frightening the teacher.

"I _want_ you to go, Kakashi. Just because you're older than all of us doesn't mean that you can't have fun." said Sakura, emerald eyes growing darker than usual. She _really_ wanted him to go.

Kakashi shrugged and heaved a big breath. Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows in impatience and gurgled, "Come on, Kakashi. You're not going to be the only adult there." Sasuke slowly nodded in agreement and murmured, "Genma's gonna go. Kurenai...Anko...Tsunade...Izumo...Kotetsu-"

Kakashi's glare suddenly softened, relieving the three students of tension and unnerving feelings. He sighed and began to ruffle the top of his hair. "I guess I can go," he grumbled. Shikamaru and the other two grinned, realizing they had won against him. "But don't expect me to come early," he continued, stepping out of his classroom. The three exchanged glances and quickly caught up to him.

Sakura frowned and exclaimed, "But you live right next to me!" Kakashi gave a small, light laugh and waved goodbye to his students. "Well, I have something to think about so-" The silver-haired man paused, realizing that he was just about to tell them about his complicated life. He sighed and said, "I just have a busy schedule today and tomorrow, but trust me. I'll be there." Sakura questioningly gazed at her favorite teacher, but he gave no reply and left.

* * *

_Mush! Mush! Mush!_

Kakashi slowly strode to his car, intently listening to the sound of snow squishing under his feet. He had to get his mind to concentrate on something else, but sadly, focusing on the crushed ice doesn't affect the situation.

He stopped halfway in his tracks and rose his head to the sky. A small speck of snow landed on his nose and melted. Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. He hated the snow, but at some moments, loved it. Snow reminded him of his father's bloody end, snow reminded him of his best friend Obito, snow reminded him of his family. It reminded him of once used to be a happy life...

All of a sudden, a faded blur of pink flashed across his eyes, awakening him from thought. In a blink of an eye, Kakashi Hatake found himself glaring angrily at his student, Sakura Haruno. His lips suddenly curved into a frown, his eyes quickly darkened, and his face began to heat up. A dark, hideous shadow began to loom over him and take control of his emotions. He was going to take it all out on Sakura...

"Damn it, Sakura. What do you want?" he growled. Sakura didn't reply. She only stood before him, frightened by his attitude. Kakashi brushed his hair out of his eyes, without thinking, and exposed his hidden, scarred eye. Sakura then grew horrified and worried. "What do you want?" he repeated, firmly locking his eyes with her's. The nineteen-year old girl opened her mouth, but only a dry croak escaped her lips. No words. From that moment, the silver-haired man began to become impatient. "Listen, kid. I don't have all day, so if you would please step out of my way, I'd appreciate it."

Kakashi brushed pass his student and continued his walk to his car, but once again, something pulled him back. He spun around and found himself captive in Sakura's grip.

He sighed and hardened his glare on her. "Please, let me go."

The pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly saddened and filled itself with worry. "You're hurt," she whispered, tightening her hold. Kakashi dreadfully stared at her and scoffed, "Yes, I'm hurt, Sakura. My eye is scarred. Now let me go." She only shook her head in response. The silver-haired man frowned and continued his forceful pleading. His dark emotions were pouring out, and nothing can stop it.

"Release me now. I have a busy schedule to keep." he lied, hoping it would get him out of this situation. But it didn't.

"I know you aren't busy, Kakashi. I know something is hurting you. I can see despair in your eyes, and it pains me to see you like this." said Sakura, letting her arm fall to the side. Kakashi's gaze suddenly softened, relieving all tension he submitted to her. "Sakura, I know you're a kind, loving person who really likes to help. But, this is something you can't fix. This is one of those painful days that I have once in a while, and no one can help me. Not even you." whispered Kakashi. Sakura sighed and innocently looked into his eyes, sending a tingling wave of chills throughout his body. Kakashi shook his head, pitifully. "Sakura, this is something I can't tell anyone. And this," the silver-headed man exposed his red-coated eye again, "is something I can't explain. You are helpless."

The pink-haired student tilted her head to the side, allowing her curly locks to fall to her shoulders. "You're hurt internally. I know I can't help...but I want to-" Sakura paused and shuffled closer to her teacher, leaving a hollow trail of footsteps in its wake. Kakashi questioningly looked at her as she grew closer and closer. The next thing you know, he found a pair of arms wrapped around him.

Kakashi dropped his head and watched the girl intertwine herself with him. His gaze softened, but his heart began to frantically pound faster, nearly destroying his ribcage.

"Wha-"

"I don't want to see you in pain. I want to see you as a lazy, sheepish teacher again. You're worrying everyone, especially me."

Sakura's voice was muffled against his chest, but her lips vibrated against him, sending sensation ringing in his brain. Kakashi heaved a great, big breath and patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. My life is complicated."

Sakura adjusted her head so that her chin would be prodding his well-toned body. Her emerald eyes began to shine proudly, her face began to grow rosy red, and her mouth curved into a small grin.

"Apology accepted. So now can you drive me home?"

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**That is all for this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!**

** And if you didn't really get the concept of it, read the next paragraph below:**

**Well, basically, Kakashi was having one of those days where his dreadful past shot at him. If you noticed, his emotions were building up in him, then finally took it all out on Sakura Haruno. Then she wanted to help him, but knew that was impossible. So the only thing left was to comfort. (Do you get it now?) **

**I know this chapter was kind of dramatic and it seemed as if Sakura showed a lot of compassion toward him, but really, in this story, she is really kind-hearted. Later in the story, she'll realize that her heart began to grow fond of Kakashi and finds out that her actions toward him has been advancing.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Feedback/Reviews are appreciated!**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	7. Loving You is Impossible

**(Read this please)**

**A/N: Okay, hi everyone. I've been getting pretty good feedback and reviews so far, but one of them sorta brought me down. I know I made major mistakes, but I'm kinda too lazy to go back and fix them. I know Sakura's and Kakashi's relationship went a little fast, but if you didn't notice, they spent an unusual (and unplanned) amount of time together, which increased their friendship. I know colleges don't have nurses or principles, but I'm not in college and I forgot that they don't have them. But I'm just going to leave those 'mistakes' there. After all, this is . (make note of the word _fiction_) I appreciate the feedback/reviews, but don't make it too harsh if you see any mistakes. Thanks...**

**Oh! And I edited it because I thought the ending was cheesy and confusing.  
**

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**It was a cold, foggy day in Konoha. White blankets of snow covered the roads and landscapes, tainted ice loomed onto windows and roofs, and a soft gust of wind blew from every direction. All streets were silent and still, all homes were quiet, some empty, and finally, nearly all shops and stores were closed down for the holiday. Today was Friday, the day before Christmas.

Eventually, the village began bustling with conversations, shouts of joy, laughing, and cries, which woke up many people, including a certain silver-haired man...

Kakashi arched his back on the bed board, awakening to the faded sounds of laughter and yelps. He held his hand up to yawn, then lazily stumbled out of bed. He was exhausted, tired, and drowsy. He didn't get sleep at all last night, due to a bunch of painful headaches and memories. Memories of his family pained him. Memories of his once used to be a happy life pained him. The memories of him taunting and scaring his students with a dreadful look in the eye had pained him as well. They all frightened him and hurt him. But one thing that haunted him for most of that day was when Sakura Haruno had hugged him. Yes, the two have been spending an _awful_ lot of time together, but all of those events were _unplanned_ and _unexpected_. And it all happened in a week. The day he met her, the day he offered to drive her, the day she got sick, the day he took it all out on her. All of those events loomed onto his brain, rejecting the force to be pulled away. It all happened in a week, and yet, he feels as if he has already grown a connection to her, like how she grew connections with her friends.

Kakashi sighed as he felt the cold, freezing water splash onto his face. It stung his skin and forced a big wave of energy surging throughout his nerves. His face was now numb and had no feeling, but it didn't really matter. At the moment, all that mattered was getting ready for the Christmas party that he almost forgot about again. He has overslept and now, it was six o' clock in the afternoon, and he only had an hour-and-a-half to get ready. Waking up early isn't the usual. Waking up _late_ was his usual start of the day, like today, but now he's regretting it...

The silver-haired man turned to the shower and twisted the faucet, then stripped his clothes off one by one, watching them pool around his bare feet. Finally, he pulled his boxers off and watched his exposed arousal swing from side to side. All of a sudden, he found himself thinking if it was good enough for a women...

_'NO. Do NOT go there.'_

Kakashi shook his head once and stepped into the tiled shower and began rinsing the dirt and muck away from his flesh and skin. It took him about three minutes before exiting the downpour of water and began changing into casual, everyday clothes. He picked out a plaid, long sleeved shirt (he rolled the sleeves up to his elbows) and baggy, sort-of-skinny jeans. He then slipped on a pair of black vans (shoes if you didn't know) and gathered his cell phone and apartment keys.

The English teacher left the comfort of his home and stopped at the neighboring apartment, then weakly knocked on the wood and patiently waited for an answer. Soon enough, the door swung open and revealed Shikamaru Nara, who was wearing a white sweater and black skinny jeans. Not a typical Christmas spirit, but Kakashi didn't really get into it either so that did not really matter...

"Kakashi? You arrived late, like you mentioned," yawned Shikamaru, taking a sip of sake. Kakashi forced a smile and grunted, "Well, I'm not an early bird. So, where's the hostess?" The black-haired boy stuck his arm behind him and pointed at the back of the room. "She's somewhere over there, I think. I suggest you check that area out first."

The silver-haired man nodded slowly and began walking in the direction Shikamaru pointed out. Eventually, he began bumping into his friends, such as Genma, Raido, Izumo, Kurenai, Might Guy, and many more. Those kids weren't lying about inviting teachers...

"Oh, Kakashi?"

A familiar, feminine voice rang in his ears and quickly reacted toward the statement. Before he knew it, he was standing face-to-face with Sakura Haruno. Kakashi began his signature 'hello' wave and said, "Yo..." But his voice began to trail off as his gaze moved further down.

Sakura was wearing a sparkly, thin blouse that dripped down to her shoulders, giving a perfect view of her chest. Not to mention, it was pretty much see through, which basically exposed the spaghetti strap she was wearing underneath. Sakura was also equipped with white skinny jeans that perfectly fitted her curved, thin legs. Finally, a pair of soft, peach ugs completed the outfit. She was a beautiful, serene sight...

"Kakashi? Yo? Hello? You there?"

Kakashi's eyes flew up to her face and realized he was making her blush incredulously. "You look amazing tonight, Sakura. And umm-Merry Christmas," he murmured, sheepishly rubbing his neck. His comment only made her cheeks even more rosy. Great.

"Erhm, it's not Christmas yet, silly! At midnight, it is." she mumbled, still trying to clear her throat. Kakashi smiled embarrassingly and said, "Yepp, my bad. Right. Midnight. Right." Oh how his stupidity caught up to him...

The pink-haired girl began to sway her hips from side to side, dragging his eyes along. Soon, he found himself drooling over her and quickly made up an excuse to get away from her, "I think I should go talk to Yamato and Kotetsu. They seem to want to converse with me." He simply walked away, leaving the nineteen-year old girl wonder deliberately about what had just happened.

Like Kakashi had told his student, he trudged toward his two long-time friends and joined the conversation.

The silver-haired man frowned and greeted, "Yo."

Yamato laughed drastically and replied, "Nice to see-uh-you, Kakashi Harr-takay."

The English teacher then realized that his brown-haired friend was a little caught up in sake.

Kotetsu, seeming to notice, piped, "Yeah, he drank-like-ten...fifteen shots of sake."

"That explains his slurred voice," Kakashi muttered, swallowing one shot.

Kotetsu mimicked friend's actions and mumbled, "So I saw you talking to that girl, Sakura Haruno. You seemed pretty dazed."

Kakashi immediately grew red.

The blue-haired man flickered his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. "You okay, man? You seem pretty heated up."

Kakashi nodded slowly and slowly drained his cup of sake, then wallowed, "Yeah, I was just saying hello."

Yamato's mouth twitched into a smile, as if he knew what was going on.

"Just hello? I'm pretty sure I saw you look at her brea-"

"Do you think I would check my student out?" interrupted Kakashi, voice stern but crackled.

Kotetsu's ears flicked to the side, like he just found something out.

"I have to agree with Hatake here, Yamato. But...Yamato does have a point. I did see the small drip of drool slip from your lips."

Okay, now Kotetsu was just teasing.

Kakashi pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, body now towering over his friends. He glared at them and smirked, "Never in my life...I would never fall for a student. She's just a nice kid, okay?" The two men stared at him in disbelief and watched him trudge away, but before disappearing into the crowd of unfamiliar people, he called out, "Besides, Kotetsu. I'm pretty sure I saw you flirting with Ino Yamanaka." Then, Kakashi faded into the large mush of people, too far from the table to hear Kotetsu wail and deny...

* * *

Four hour swung by like a door, and now, there was only one more hour until Christmas Eve. To be honest, the party was actually fun and spirited, which surprised Kakashi. He never thought Sakura would go this far just to make a simple party enjoyable, and never, ever thought she'd go this far just to_ impress _him. And now, he felt like he should _thank_ her for inviting him. Who knows what boring things might have happened if he wasn't?

Kakashi slipped through the drunken crowd with ease and stumbled out into the open, nearly slamming into the wall. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to close the blur out from his vision. And yes, he has been drinking quite a lot, which practically explained his unusual way of walking. But at least he still had control of himself, unlike Yamato. He had gone berserk and kissed Rin, and shockingly, she had kissed him back. Too much Sake. Too much loss of control...

The silver-haired man began to frown, unable to find any flash of pink. After a few moments of searching, he finally found her speaking quietly to Hinata Hyuuga, who seemed terribly shocked. He started to walk toward the two, but stopped halfway in his tracks. He soon realized that his pink-haired student was whimpering silently, tears slipping out of her eyes at every little squeak. Her sad, worried face brought his spirit down drastically, and her actions of pain finally diminished it. And the fact that Hinata wasn't doing anything to help her worried him even more. She was hurt on a very fine day, and Kakashi intended on finding out what was wrong. But in a blink of an eye, she hurriedly scurried out of her apartment, leaving the door open, as if she lacked thought. Then he thought he heard her say, "I just need time alone, Hinata. I-I'll...go."

Kakashi immediately took hold of his missing piece of control, then jogged after her, hoping to catch her by the arm. He skidded out of her home, the door shutting violently behind him. There was _no_ sight of her. He sighed ruefully and ran down the stairs burst into the lobby. There was still _no_ sight of her. Kakashi began to grow frustrated and eventually found himself gritting his teeth tumultuously. The sight of her crying swept him into the dark, sorrow shadows, worrying him greatly. She was a nice, kind girl and seeing her heart break down was a sad sight. Kakashi Hatake needed to do something that everyone else was afraid to do: _comfort_ her.

Kakashi swiftly sprinted out the front doors, just in time to see a flash of pink disappear behind a Cherry Blossom tree. The English teacher gasped for air and straightened himself, in attempt to help himself snatch his missing breath. After a few seconds of harsh breathing, he began trudging toward the slim, thick tree. Moments passed as he neared his destination. He would soon _help_ her. He would soon_ comfort_ her. He would soon make _everything_ better...or would at least _try_ to. (Kakashi _wasn't _a soft type of guy)

* * *

_Mush! Mush! Mush!_

The sound of ice crushing under someone's feet grew louder.

_Mush! Mush! Mush!_

_He_ was nearing. What will she do? She can't let _him_ see her like this...

_Mush! _

The pink-haired girl sadly rose her head, only to find a peculiar, silver-haired figure gazing back at her.

She swallowed a small, cold breath and dug her face deep into her knees, which was pressed up against her chest. She _must_ hide her tears. She can not let _him_ see her like _this_. _Never._

She felt the snow beside her hollow and trickle away, as if it was sliding down a small slope. Suddenly, her body heated and grew warmer.

Yes, that must be it.

He was sitting beside her.

"Sakura."

That voice. That tone. It shook her heart and buzzed in her ears. Why did it have to be_ him_ to comfort her?

"Please look at me."

Sakura responded slowly and adjusted her head so that her chin would be prodding at her arms. Her eyes slowly rose to his face, then grew soft and weary. An ominous feeling began to loom over her, sending waves of discomfort surging throughout her body.

Kakashi Hatake was different now. Whenever she saw him, her heart flipped and begged to cling onto his. Whenever she saw him, her needs for him would just increase. Her heart was now fond of his-But Sakura knew it was impossible that he shared the same feelings. Sakura knew that her love would never be reality. It would always be a simple, beautiful dream that would always plead to be real. Her love was just a fantasy. It would never be reality.

"Sa...Sakura. What's wrong, kiddo?"

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the bright light before her.

The pink-haired girl sighed and shook her head. She didn't want to respond. Telling him about her hidden crush on him would surprise him and many others, too much...and telling it directly toward _him_ would be _too_ difficult. Nowadays, she can't even control herself in front of him. Like four hours ago, when he had commented nicely about h-

"Sakura Haruno. Please answer me..."

Those words.

That soft, angelic tone.

It turned her emotions on.

Sakura suddenly began a downpour of tears and whimpers, then without thinking, her head nuzzled deep into his chest, catching her English teacher by surprise. Kakashi slowly got used to the unusual response and patted her on the back, hoping it would calm her down. It didn't.

And then came the lie...

"These are one of those days where I think about my lost-loved ones," she whispered, forcing herself away from the warmth of his arms. She can't lie on him _forever_, for it will make her flushed and_ nutty_ about him.

Sakura settled her back on the tree trunk and leaned her head back, so she would be able to see the specks of snow drift onto them. She kept her gaze away from his, hoping that her lie had worked. She didn't want him to know that she liked him. It was all too much.

Kakashi simply gazed at her, hoping to lock his eyes with her. But she didn't. She kept her two emerald eyes away from his black abyss. It seemed as if she was trying to avoid him.

"Well, just try to remember-" Kakashi paused, unsure of how to say something cheerful. "Just try to remember that they'll always be in your heart." He heaved a big breath, still exhausted from his recent chase.

Sakura slowly calmed herself, realizing that he wasn't on to her. But maybe, just maybe, he was still unconvinced that she was okay. And she knew that he_ probably _was unsure about her emotions, but that didn't matter. Thinking about that at the moment would be at a bad time, especially when he's right there, flesh and skin lingering around her. Right now was the time to act normal...

The pink-haired girl's lips curved into a sorrowful smile. "Thanks, Kakashi. That helped a lot." she whispered, moving farther away from him, leaving a hollow line on the ground, below. Kakashi rose an eyebrow and sheepishly scratched his head. "Well, geez. I didn't think I would actually calm you. Usually, your friends do that...like Shikamaru or-" "But now it's you. And I think you'd always make everything better," she interrupted, lost in deep thought.

The silver-haired man shrugged her comment off, but after a few silent seconds, his eyes furrowed, as if he was puzzled. "Hey, what did you say after 'But now it's you?' I didn't catch that." he mumbled. Sakura began to heat up, due to his question, but quickly kept her nerves down. She must not release any sign that said, 'I like you' or 'I think I developed feelings for you.' After all, she was just a student and he was a college professor, and things don't spark between two acquaintances. Maybe her long dream for love will never come true... So maybe that's why she wants to keep her feelings hidden in the shadows of her heart.

"Sakura?"

Sakura rose to look at Kakashi, who was now even more confused. She rose her shoulders then let it drop in response.

"I...didn't say anything. I think it was just the wind." she lied, turning to face the streets again.

The pink-haired girl stared out at the open, white field. Street lights were dim and flickering, as if it was going to die out any minute. The snow slowly rose inch by inch as the flakes of ice fell from the sky. Soon, the wind began to howl silently and pick up the pace, blowing dead, frozen leaves in every direction. Eventually, Sakura began to doze off, exhausted from observing the scene before her, her Christmas gathering, and such other stuff that brought the loss of fatigue...

Kakashi, realizing she was nearly asleep, sighed disappointingly and shifted his position. He sluggishly swung her into his arms and began cradling her like a new-born baby. He frowned as he struggled to carry her across the snow, and was more pained when he had to use the stairs (Unfortunately, the elevators were out and broken). Nearing her nosily-filled apartment, Kakashi took a small glimpse of his student who was drowsily resting against him, then smiled slightly. For some apparent reason, just looking at her brought happiness and comfort.

"Good night and have a Merry Christmas, Sakura."

* * *

**That's it. Hope you liked it.**

**Nice Feedback/Reviews are appreciated.**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	8. My Feelings

**A/N: BIG thanks to those who reads my stories. BIG thanks to those who leave nice feedback/reviews. BIG thanks for helping me make the story better. I love you all! (I just thought I'd put that out there)**

**

* * *

**_Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!_

A small, soft yawn echoed in the room, followed by rustling and brushing. The next thing you know, there was a pink-haired girl arising from a deep sleep...

Sakura arched her back on the bed board and rose a hand up to rub her drowsy eyes. Yes, she was still exhausted from the Christmas party she threw the other day. First, she danced like a maniac with her best friend, Ino. Next, she drank a couple shots of sake and nearly kissed Sasuke, which was _definitely_ unwanted. Then, she greeted Kakashi and found herself blushing as he carefully observed her body. Finally, she realized that she has fallen for her English teacher, and a few moments later, she was talking desperately to Hinata about her hidden crush. Afterward, she ran outside, noticing that a certain person was following her. And that certain person _was_ Kakashi Hatake, a man who she did not want to see at the moment...Yes, too much events occurred.

Sakura sighed and stretched her arms out, but the right hit something warm and muscular, which scared her because right when she touched the figure, she knew it was a person. Most likely to be a _man_. But who?

The pink-haired girl slowly tilted her head to the side, only to find a silver-haired man sitting on her bed, head leaned against the plastered wall.

The expression on his face was serene, as if he was deeply dreaming about something. His arms dangled around his waist, one on her favorite pillow. His legs were stretched in front of him, one nearly hanging off the bed. Finally, his shirt was wrinkled and creased, and was unbuttoned halfway down to his torso, revealing a nice smoothly-toned body.

Wait, but why was it unbutton-

Sakura gasped and immediately grew rosy like an apple. Had they? Did they? Was it possible they had _se-_

She let her arms drop to her lap and sighed in relief, happy to know that her clothes were_ still _equipped.

No. They _didn't._

But what actually happened last night?_  
_

Sakura dropped her head embarrassingly and slowly got off the bed, careful to make sure that _he_ doesn't wake up. She then tip-toed to her bathroom and shut the door behind her. She did _not_ want anyone coming in while she was doing her business, especially when _he_ could wake up any minute.

Sakura flipped her pink locks away from her face, then twisted the faucet of the shower and waited patiently for it to heat up. When a foggy, warm steam began to arise, she began stripping her clothes off, one by one, and watching them pool around her bare feet. The girl then stepped into her tiled shower and began washing the dirt away. It took nearly five minutes before she left the downpour of water to gather her clothes. But unfortunately, she left her prepared pair of clothing in her bedroom, where Kakashi was still probably sleeping in. So the only option was to scurry in and hope to retrieve her clothes _without_ waking him up.

Sakura began her plan with a whip of a towel swinging around her body, then hurriedly rushed into her bedroom and found her clothes. Before entering her bathroom again, she glanced at her ruffled bed and found him sleeping peacefully against the wall.

Good. He was still resting.

The pink-haired girl closed and locked the door behind her, then the sound of a towel dropping to the floor echoed in the bedroom, awakening the drowsy figure.

The silver-haired man squinted his eyes at a dim light that was beaming through the blinds. He rose a hand to brush the portion of his hair away from his right eye, exposing the red-coated pupil. He blinked at the faint, glowing light, then realized he wasn't in his apartment. He let his hair hang in front of his face again and began to straighten his position against the wall.

Kakashi gazed around him, trying to decipher who lived here. He couldn't figure out who's apartment he was in until he saw a picture frame, containing photo of a pink-haired girl with her family.

Of course.

He was in Sakura's apartment.

Kakashi had forgotten that he attended her Christmas party. All of the events that occurred last night was now just a blur, so basically, he couldn't think straight. His mind was still a little jumbled from the sake, but what was the most unusual, he had an extremely throbbing headache. In the _morning_. He_ never_ has headaches in the morning unless he dra- Oh, he did drink. Yeah, he can't think straight.

The English teacher sighed and began to flatten the wrinkles on his plaid shirt, but soon realized that it was unbuttoned halfway, exposing his chest. He simply stared at the ruffled clothing, then began slipping the buttons into each separate slot. Awakening to look like a lazy bag of bones was the usual, so that didn't shake him as much. It wasn't surprising toward him. It was normal...well...in his point of view.

A sudden turn of a knob brought his attention to a door flinging open on the far side of the room. After a few moments of silence, Kakashi found himself glaring intently at his pink-haired student, Sakura Haruno.

Sakura stood quietly in the doorway, shocked to find him fully awake and energized. But soon enough, she ordered her thoughts and began talking straight.

"Oh, you're finally awake," she stated, walking toward her closet.

Kakashi's eyes followed her as she strode across the room to her closet.

His visible eye suddenly grew weary and dark, as if he was still drowsy.

The silver-haired man shrugged in response and muttered, "I usually don't wake up so early on weekends."

Sakura sighed and closed the drawer, then turned to him.

"So how was the party?" she asked.

"Fun and exhausting," he replied, stepping off the bed.

Sakura's eye began to gleam with excitement. "Thanks."

"Hey, am I the only one who crashed at your place?" asked Kakashi, leaning his back against the plastered wall. A sudden jolt of energy blasted through him, probably due to how cold the wall was.

The pink-haired girl heaved her shoulders up and dropped it. She didn't know.

Kakashi released a low, calm breath and flexed his neck, relieving it of tension, but didn't know that a _certain someone _was drooling over him. And that certain person is Sakura. She was giving an enormous amount of attention toward him, and wasn't literally drooling over him, but was nearly about to. She had recently fallen for him, but not just because of his good looks. Yes, he was cute and ravishing, but his personality and actions toward her (and her friends) was what brought her close to him. The way he comforts people, the way he helps people, the way he tries to make friends . . . those all took a liking in her interest. He was indeed a mystery, which was what brought her to him in the first place, but now he's more than a mystery. He was more like a murder case that can never be solved. He had deep emotions that he had accidentally poured all over her that definitely intrigued her. He had exposed something that was absolutely necessary to be hidden and kept in the darkness of his heart, and that was another symptom that had brought her closer. That made her want to actually become a friend like he has never had since his childhood, but along the way, she found herself growing fond of him. And now she's in this situation . . . Love.

Sakura looked down, worriedly wondering about her past relationships with her friends and families. She was engaged with Sasuke once, but that did not work out, Naruto and Shikamaru were more like annoying little brothers, Ino was more like a long-lost sister, Hinata was like a best friend, Kiba was like a pet, and well . . . Kakashi is a simple crush. Scratch that. Not simple. Humongous.

The pink-haired adjusted her head and kept her position still, so she'd be facing the male across her.

Kakashi was giving a content stare, eyes full of questions and wonder.

Finally, his quick, harsh sigh broke the unbearable silence.

"So, you're done pondering?" he murmured, eyes darkening and sparkling.

Sakura nodded in response.

"I'm not going to ask what because it may be private, right?" he continued.

Sakura gulped, feeling her cheeks grow hot and red. She then shook her head, 'Yes.'

Kakashi dropped his eyebrows, flattening the very few folds that were once there, lying on his forehead. He cocked his head to the side as he watched her face heat up. And that . . . told him that her thoughts were forbidden from him. Private.

The silver-haired teacher slowly held a hand up to yawn, but just when he closed his eyes shut, he felt a small gust of wind circle around him. After a second, his eyes fluttered open, only to find Sakura bent over beside him, struggling to find whatever she needed to find. His lone, visible eye trailed down her back and stayed put on her thighs, which was now in a great viewing position, especially since she was wearing shorts. Eventually, he found himself growing terribly interested in her slim, curved body, then shook the thoughts away, terrified from the fact that he had actually _wanted_ her. Well, he hasn't had a go with a women for quite a while ago and hasn't had one since his last engagement with Anko, but she was a feisty one . . . and well, Kakashi doesn't like a women who likes to be forced to be put down and laid on. And he wasn't growing hard or anything from looking at his pink-haired pupil, but he feels as if he needed her. Not just as a friend but it's something more, and he can't put his finger on it. He needs time . . . time to think about his situation.

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi settled his eyes on Sakura, who was now standing a few feet away from him. He began to rub the back of his neck as he tried to clear his throat.

"Yes?"

Sakura frowned and asked, "I was wearing a necklace I got from my parents when I was little, but it seems as if it fell off." She paused for a short minute to find her voice. She can't speak...It was too difficult to talk and try to hold back a blush at the same time. "Well, I was wondering if you saw it."

Kakashi tilted his head to the side, hair flying in the same direction, almost fully exposing his hidden, red-coated eye. Sakura observed his eye, of what he called, 'A lifetime memory'. She soon got bored of making note of every detail and turned her attention to him again, hoping that he would answer.

His lips suddenly curved into a slight puzzled frown as he reached to dig something up from his pocket.

"Actually," he began, "when you fell asleep last night under that cherry blossom tree...I found-"

He rose his hand to her face and let a white, coated necklace dangle from his fingers. "-This in the snow."

Sakura's eyes softened and filled itself with lust, relieved to know that her childhood necklace was safe and sound. She let her hand reach out for her jewelry, but right when she was about to snatch it from his fingers, he pulled it back, away from her grasp. The pink-haired girl questioningly looked at him, wondering why he has done so.

Kakashi smiled slightly and said, "I think I have the courtesy to help you with that. After all, I am a friend, right?" His cold hands drifted around her neck and pushed her curly locks beside it, away from the back portion. Sakura shivered here and there, not used to having body contact with a teacher like this. Meanwhile, Kakashi kept his gaze hard on the back of her head, sending her signals that said, 'It will be over soon, kid. Just let me latch it up.' Of course, the girl had received the cold, dark look and the message, which was nearly the same as what he had actually meant. Eventually, Kakashi latched the two ends together and let his arms fall to his waist, but his body stayed put behind her. Soon enough, the two began to share the same warmth and their hearts synchronized their beats.

But after a small amount of time from being close together, the silver-haired man began to lift his arms up once again to hold onto her arms. He has received a message from his brain that he liked touching her. Her soft, cold skin stung him and shot waves of energy into him, but every touch between them sparked. Sparks of connection. Sparks of . . . Love, perhaps? But he did not know the reason of his doings. Not yet. Not now.

All of a sudden, her bedroom door swung open, revealing a masculine, black-haired figure standing in the doorway. (And right at that moment, Kakashi dropped his arms to his waist, again)

Apparently, that certain black-haired figure was Shikamaru Nara, which looks as if that he too has fell asleep at her apartment. Everything was normal about him. His lazy eyes, his dreary condition, that ponytail of his, his annoyed frown...But one thing was off. He was shocked-more like-curious. Well, of course he would be curious because after all, he did find his two friends close together, Kakashi behind his longtime buddy.

"Errhm-"

Shikamaru stood still, surprised to find Kakashi and Sakura _this_ close. But soon enough, he regained enough power to push his shock away.

"I knew I was going to find you here, Sakura, but I didn't expect to see another person, such as Mr. Hatake. Kakashi Hatake...Apparently, I'm not the only one who passed out here." he coughed, stepping foward.

Kakashi shook his head and began heading toward the door. He didn't want to put up with this kid again, especially when he might interrogate him about his actions. Shikamaru was a nice guy to be around, but he can't be seen with Sakura all the time like _this._ He nearly pulled her to him, but immediately stopped when he came in, which was a good thing. If he has done so, Shikamaru could have gotten the wrong idea and...it's all complicated from there.

"Well, I gotta go now. I have a schedule to kee-"

"No."

The silver-haired teacher stopped in his tracks and spun himself around, but was shocked from the fact that Sakura had stopped him from going, and well, she has never done so before. (Shikamaru seemed surprised too)

"Stay, I'll make breakfast. I want to offer my aid toward you guys," she whispered, throat dry, "Please don't go yet." Sakura took a step forward, hands in front of her as if she was asking for something.

Kakashi and Shikamaru exchanged glances then turned to face her again.

Kakashi swallowed a small breath, small enough to give him enough air to speak one word.

"Okay."

From that moment on, Shikamaru Nara knew there would be something that would come between the two.

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**Did you like it? I know it was only based on a few situations...and the setting stayed the same for the whole time but...you got a quick peek on their feelings, right? RIGHT.**

**Anyways, I appreciate the nice feedback/reviews you've been giving. They all mean a lot to me.**

**I would like to thank EchoUchiha for giving me wonderful ideas and help. Another future helper would probably be Khaos of the Innocent(I might put in a lemon sometime in the story, and Khaos has offered to help me, so I appreciate that)**

**I also have school to take care of and all of those other life-important stuff, so don't expect to get another chapter in a day or two. I used to do that before, but that was in the beginning of the school year where I had less homework. Anyways, thanks for being patient!  
**

**I love you all!**

**-XxNarutoFanGurxX  
**


	9. Thinking About You

He never thought that he would find himself growing fond of this student of his. He never thought that he would be so attracted to her. He never thought that he would try to comfort her in any way possible. He never thought that he would end up having some sort of connection with her. . .But it couldn't be his fault, right? No, it is his fault that he has developed a bond with her. He can never resist that pleading, innocent smile. He will never resist those teary, emerald eyes that always begged for him to stay a bit longer. He will never ever get enough of her. Everyday, he would take a piece of her and stuff it in his pocket. No. His heart. Deep down where things actually mean something. But did he know what he was experiencing? In fact, he did not, which was disappointing. He tried to grasp onto that word . . . that word, love. But he could never find out that he was loving her, for he does not know what he's feeling because he doesn't know the true meaning of love. Not yet. Not now.

"Kakashi?"

He looked up at her with his lone, visible eye, reacting to the fact that she had called his name out. But she didn't respond so quickly like he had wanted, and soon, the silence began to haunt him. Then he felt as if two circular shadows were looming over him. He felt as if someone was watching him with ever so content. And he knew that black-haired boy couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He knew that black-haired boy needed to observe his facial expression so he can decipher his dark emotions. . .

"You stopped eating. Is something...wrong?"

His eye flew to her soft, glossy lips and watched it curve as she frowned.

"Nothing. I just-"

He suddenly pushed his chair back and rose to his feet, turning his back on his two students after a moment. He began walking toward the door, ignoring the feeling of four beady eyes lingering on him. Of course, those ominous glares were from that girl and boy, but what the hell, he didn't care it was from them. In fact, since it was them, it made it all worse.

He had to go.

"-I just need to go."

As he neared the exit that lead him to the open world . . . the open world he needed to be released to . . . he heard a slight scratching sound against the wooden floor . . . then he knew they were going to go after them. So he picked the pace up.

He finally reached out for the golden knob that patiently waited for him and twisted it, pulling the slick, white door back at the same time. He then quickly slipped through the crack that was big enough for his body to slide past, and took one last glimpse of them. He shook his head and turned it, away from those lonely, begging eyes of hers. He felt the wind try to grasp onto him and pull him back as he tried to escape, but unfortunately, no force can stop this animal.

She watched the door slowly seal shut, the sight of his bare hands disappearing inch by inch. Her eyes began to grow weary as the last speck of silver disappear behind the barrier. She needed him beside her. She needed him close to her. But now, it seemed impossible.

The girl suddenly collapsed to her knees, hands pressed against the wooden floor. Her black-haired friend knelt beside her and settled a single hand on her shoulder. He knew she was hurt. He knew she wanted him. He knew that his theory was now a fact. A real-life fact.

But he also knew that she was unable to bring him back, for she was too afraid of her emotions...

"Sakura."

A wave of pink flew past her collar bone, exposing her pale face. Her emerald eyes began to sparkle as a tear leaped out of her eyelid and slipped down her cheek. She was biting her lip, making it a deep purple color, now almost red, as if blood was ready to pour out.

"I can't-" Her sniffles soon began to grow into continuous whimpers. "-Kakashi...I-I can't believe I fell for him...Shikamaru."

"I can't believe it either," he whispered, hand tapping her shoulder in a rhythmic beat.

Shikamaru did not know how to respond to this type of situation. Love. He never experienced love. He never experienced the torturing feeling when the person you longed to hold will always reject you. He never has felt the emotion when you want to pull that person close to you. He has never felt it since his last two relationships: Ino and Temari. Temari was a disaster. Ino just didn't respond toward him.

He's useless at the moment . . .

He can't do anything to help his poor, pink-haired friend. No one can do anything, all but that silver-haired teacher, Kakashi Hatake.

Shikamaru Nara was useless to her.

* * *

He was walking by a river, plastered with stained, hardened ice. He was observing the frozen liquid that seemed to be a long, never-ending ice cube as the soft specks of snow landed on top of it. Eventually, the watery pathway was covered in sheets of snow, leaving him with nothing to look at but the white, dreary plains.

The freezing, moist air was killing him. The way it pokes and prods at his skin and flesh pained him, but really, he had to resist. He can't focus on the atmosphere, but focus on the reasons of his presence around her, Sakura Haruno.

His lone, visible eye trailed down the strands of his silver hair that flew in front of his forehead, free to fly like a bird. . . A bird released from its cage . . . Oh how he wished his heart was released from the depth of his chest, but unfortunately, his cage wasn't ready to unlock and open. Maybe his heart will stay locked forever in the hands of darkness.

The silver-haired man shook his head and stopped in his tracks to ponder deeply about his recent doings with her.

They all meant something important. He knew all of the moments they shared together were important. The fact that they both enjoy each others company, there must be a reason to why it was so meaningful. The way they both laugh together. The way they exchanged emotions and secrets. The way they hung around one another. They all meant something. But what exactly was that 'something'? Well, that is yet to be solved...

He slowly rose his head to the sky to gaze at the fluttering flakes above, in attempt to shake those thoughts away. Unfortunately, it did nothing to push her image away. Her smile, her laugh, her emerald eyes, her pink hair, her soft lips. . . They were all stuck in his mind and will forever be.

The English teacher sighed and let his head hang, disappointingly.

Will he be attached to her for his_ entire_ life?

Why was he so _connected_ with her?

Was it only _fate_ that had brought them together?

Or maybe it was just _choice_ that had brought them together. . . After all, he was the one who decided to stop by and help her when she needed aid.

But why did he do so?

Maybe the reason of his actions are unknown. . .

"Shit..."

* * *

She let the breeze blow her pink hair away from her face. She let the snow settle on her cheeks and melt, leaving only of what looks like tear stains. She let the dead leaves hang upon her and g_o. _She was a total wreck, not literally, but in the inside, yes.

Sakura had never expected in her life to love someone so much. She never expected to love _him_ so much. She never thought that she would have to go down that road where you find your own heart growing fond of his, then the next thing you know, it would be desperately begging to cling onto his heart. She's never been down that trail until now.

His lone, visible eye was always filled with mystery and lust, which always snatches attention around him. His silver, ruffled hair would always hang to the right portion of his face, leaving nearly half of his head visible, which was definitely unusual. His annoyed, puzzled expression always brought amusement to everyone, especially her. His personality always kept everyone going, but now it's doing more. It's literally haunting Sakura, pleading for her to take him in and make him her's. But really, that seems impossible at the moment.

The way he left her and Shikamaru was an absolute sign that he isn't sharing the same feelings that she contains. It even showed that their, once used to be an unbreakable_ bond,_ was actually falling apart.

And that's what made her break down, starting from the inside.

The way he left Sakura was heart-breaking.

Why did he have to leave her like _that_?

Why did he have to do it in such a _harsh_ manner that meant, 'I_ don't_ need you anymore.'

Well, the _real _question is . . .

Will Sakura _ever_ forgive Kakashi Hatake for his reckless, sorrowful actions?

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**That's it for this chapter! I know it was short and kinda suck-ish (well, to me)**

**Anyways, I appreciate all of the nice reviews/feedback! I love your comments and ideas/suggestions. Thankies!**

**And if you noticed, I didn't put an author's note in the beginning of the chapter...and well...I had nothing to say, really. So that's why.**

**Oh, I might create another KakaSaku story, but it's actually gonna be based on some of the episodes. But of course, I will tweak a lot and make it my own fantasy! Hehe (If I actually do make the story...)  
**

**I love you all!**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	10. Eavesdropping on You

**A/N: Yo, this is chapter 10 of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. I only hope that you'll guys enjoy this chapter. I appreciate for those who give me awesome and encouraging feedback/reviews. I love you all!**

**

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**The last few days slowly passed by, due to the low amount of bustling in the cities. But today was going to be a loud one. The people of Konoha were all readying themselves for the snow storm that just appeared over the horizon. Shop managers began shutting their stores down and preparing to set themselves on a journey to home, workers were quickly running back to their neighborhood after a long day of work, and families were heading home as well after doing their business in the city. Soon, flakes of white cotton began to settle on the streets of Konoha, and eventually was covered by sheets of snow, black gravel no longer visible. Then the weather worsened, as predicted, frightening the young kids that were now huddled up in their blankets, too afraid to look at the pounding hail.

Basically, everyone was in the comfort of their homes, due to the horrible weather outside. And only a few were struggling to get through the snow and to their destination, such as a blond-headed girl.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

A pale, white hand pounded upon a wooden door, asking for entrance.

There was no response.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

A heavy sigh echoed in the hallway, and then came a loud growl.

"Sakura Haruno! Let me in!"

The girl received no reply, once again, angering her.

She huffed and pushed her yellow bangs out of her eyes, tightened her pony-tail, fixed her blue eyes on the door, then waited. If that pink-haired women wasn't going to allow her inside her apartment, might as well wait until she does so.

A sudden shuffling noise coming from the stairway, scaring the blond-headed girl, and brought her attention to a tall, masculine figure, who appeared to be Kakashi Hatake.

Her dark blue eyes flew to his face, which apparently expressed annoyance.

Could he already be annoyed just by looking at her?

Rude.

"Aren't you Mr. Hatake?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, making an attempt to make herself look as innocent as possible.

The silver-haired man nodded in response, but his expression wasn't as nice as she thought it would be.

Ino sighed and turned to face the door again, hoping it would open soon and that _he_ would leave. But unfortunately, the door gave no sign of budging and the English teacher continued his observation of her doings.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Mr-"

Kakashi held a finger up and shook it slightly, "Address me by my first name outside of college. And-erhm-no."

Ino let out a low breath and murmured, "God, stop acting like a smart-ass."

"Excuse me?"

But before saying anything else, he was interrupted by a loud yank of a door. The silver-haired man quickly brought his attention to the open doorway, only to find a black-haired boy slouching against the wall.

"Shikamaru?" gasped Ino.

It was indeed Shikamaru Nara who answered the door, but he did not look as appealing from a few days back. His eyes were blood shot and small fold lines were resting beneath them, telling whoever was looking at him that he was exhausted. His hair was messy, even though it was tied up into a pony tail. His clothes were the same as last week's, or at least what Kakashi had thought, and was terribly wrinkled. And the silver-haired man swore he saw a yellow-ish stain on his sleeve.

"Why are you here, Yamanaka?" he snapped, rubbing the back of his neck.

The blond-haired girl dropped her head embarrassingly and mumbled, "Well, someone let me in on some surprising news and decided that I would visit her."

_'Surprising news? What surprising news?' _thought Kakashi, intently staring at the scene before him._  
_

She looked up for a short moment and suddenly smirked.

"And I can ask you the same question."

Shikamaru sternly looked into her gaze and shook his head, telling her that he cannot explain to her at the moment. Ino eventually caught onto his unusual, playful tone and nodded in response. After a few moments of unbearable silence, the black-haired boy allowed her in, but didn't follow. Instead, he stepped outside and took a few deep breaths in. It appeared as if he needed some fresh air.

Kakashi observed him as he began fixing his hair, pressing down some hair strands and straightening the few wrinkles on his sweater. When he got to the sleeves, he crinkled his nose and furrowed his eyes, bringing the English teacher amusement. Soon, the teenage boy stopped his little 'fix myself up' moment and turned himself to face the door, once again, and pulled it open, revealing a somewhat 'gloomy' room.

Kakashi never remembered Sakura's home being so.._.unhappy_.

Before re-entering her apartment, he licked his dry lips and murmured, "It was nice to see you again, Kakashi. Haven't seen you for a couple of days."

Then he left the silver-haired man alone in the silent, dim-lighted hallway.

He quietly stared at the sealed door, watching a faint light flicker on and off through the thin opening at the bottom of the wooden-paneled floor. He was expecting to see a shadow fly across the beam, but nothing came by. He then fixed his ears on the noises, hoping to catch some sign of conversation, but nothing was heard. Finally, he shook his head and began to walk toward his apartment door, giving up on his observations.

"What if us bitches aren't ready to let the world know about our feelings?"

The sound of cursing and scowling rang in his eardrums, forcing him to push himself against the wall, in attempt to listen in more. Kakashi frowned as he began his plan, though, for he did not like eavesdropping. Eavesdropping in someone's conversation was plain rude, especially if it's about secretive stuff. Although it was something terrible to do, he must find out what exactly are these 'emotions' he's been hearing about. After all he was curious. It is something regrettable, but he'd take the chance.

Kakashi kept his stance steady against the plastered wall, trying to prevent any shuffling noises or whatsoever. Soon enough, he began to intently listen to their statements. But it sounded as if only Ino was talking. . . no. . . pleading. It sounded like she was begging for an answer, then promising to keep her mouth shut.

Eventually, her whining grew louder and Kakashi found himself concentrating on the dark hallway, rather than concentrating on their words. Having to listen to some girl whine was annoying, so he figured that he should look out into the shadowing figures of small, decent furniture that rested along the isle. Besides, Ino might go on about her promises for more than three minutes, and three minutes was unnecessary for that type of predicament. And maybe watching the hallway wasn't a bad idea. You never know if a stranger would walk by, and he did not want to be caught while he was pressing himself against the wall like an immature fool. That would be terribly embarrassing.

* * *

An hour flew by like a bird, and Kakashi Hatake was still leaning against the door of Sakura Haruno's home, hoping that he would finally get a chance to listen to something exciting, or at least shocking. But Ino was still blabbering about her vows and such, and it also sounded as if a certain black-haired boy was ticked off, for he did hear a couple of harsh, quick sighs. Ino was sure a tal-

"Kakashi Hatake."

His eyes suddenly widened from hearing the sound of his name echoing in the room.

Were they talking about him? Why? Kakashi wasn't that important and wasn't that interesting either. His life was plain and average, like any other life span, so why talk about him?

"You like him, don't you?"

Kakashi felt his heart begin to race faster, every heartbeat nearly shattering his ribcage. He felt himself begin to grow light-headed, and he swore his lips were trembling. These. . . these actions never occurred to him in such a long time that he forgot about them. He didn't know for a fact that these symptoms meant nervousness or. . . _love_, perhaps. And that is because he hasn't felt them for a while, since his childhood, which was about. . . fourteen years back, when he was only a mere twelve-year old. So why feel them now? Why now, at the moment when _she _was going to answer?

"I think I love him, Ino."

The silver-headed man began to feel a slight weakness in his knees, then slid down, back still resting on the wall. He knew it. He knew he should have never eavesdropped, but then again, it felt all too _right_. Was it meant for him to know of her feelings?

"I know it's only been about two weeks since we've been hanging around each other, but...the fact that he's a total mystery left me confused, so I set out on a task to find out more about him. Then...when he had helped me and offered so much, I decided to become a friend of his, but I never thought I'd get so close to him. And during that Christmas party...that's why I cried. I cried because I finally realized that I-"

His ears perked and twitched at the sound of her sorrowful, yet romantic, explanation. The tone in her voice was gentle and smooth, yet it sounded as if she was ready to settle down and cry her eyes out.

She has been keeping this from him ever since she met him?

"-Love him. I love him so m-mu-much!"

The sound of crashing and glass shattering filled his ears, frightening him. He then realized that she had collapse to the ground, probably due to the amount of emotions that were haunting her. But you can't blame her. Her feelings has been trapped in a cage and was never let out, making them attack her until she undid the latch and set them free. His pink-haired pupil was broken. _Hurt_. Why couldn't she just tell him that she liked him? He never wanted to see her pained and sorrowful. The sight of her crying would probably make his heart bleed...

So then he decided what he would do . . . He would plan it all out . . . then put it in action . . .

* * *

"-Love him. I love him so m-mu-much! I just don't know how I fell for him."

A wave of pink, curly strands flashed across his eyes, sending him down to the ground, where she now lay, whimpering silently. He sighed and looked up at his blond-haired friend, who seemed touched but surprised. But that wasn't shocking. He, himself, was surprised when he finally realized that she and him shared a common feeling known as love.

He tightened his pony-tail then continued to rub circles onto her back, hoping it would relieve her of tension and...tightened muscles...and perhaps make her feel better. But really, no one can stop the river flowing out of her eyes, and it was soon to form a lake. No. An ocean. . .God, he was exaggerating too much.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

He shot his head up, toward the door, in response to hearing a small, light tapping on the entrance.

No one should be awake at this hour. No one but. . ._him_.

Ino responded to the sound too, and immediately strode toward the door. The black-haired boy released his hand from his pink-haired friend and reached out to grab Ino by the wrist, but it was already too late. She had answered the door with a quick yank, and the only person who could have been behind that door-that closed them out from the open world-could be. . . Kakashi Hatake.

And it was him.

The silver-haired man was leaning against the doorway, his lone eye glued to the collapsed figure beside Shikamaru. His eyes were dark and full of lust, his face was pale as if he was frightened, and his expression was average, as usual, but it had a hint of mischief to it. What was he up to?

Shikamaru gave his English teacher a long, cold glare that said, 'Why are you here?'

Kakashi, of course, deciphered his message that was hidden in his eyes and replied with a slight shrug. But heaving the shoulder up and letting it drop was a lie. He did know why he was here, but he wasn't going to let anyone in on his reasons, especially if they are absolutely personal. And this was _personal_.

So he had to lie. Lying would probably get him nowhere in life, but right now, it would be a good idea. Their faces would drain the color away if he told them that he secretly listened to their conversation. . .

"I heard a loud thump from my apartment, and I decided to check on you kids since you're..." Kakashi's voice trailed off as he watched his student whimper, some tears escaping her beautiful, emerald eyes. His eyes grew weary itself just from looking at the sorrowful sight of his friend crying. He had to comfort her in someway that showed no deep emotions within, whatsoever. But he was sure that was impossible.

"Sakura," he whispered, stepping toward her. She shook her head, knowing that he was nearing her. She didn't want him to help her. Not now. Not when her heart was begging to cling onto his. . .

Shikamaru and Ino watched the English teacher slug his way to Sakura. Shikamaru thought this of a really saddening moment, especially when the person that Sakura loved was right there. Ino thought this scene of a drama movie, but she knew she cannot make any comment. It would ruin everything, and not only that, but discomfort the two 'love birds'. So basically, the two teenagers stood still, acting only as an audience.

"Sakura," repeated Kakashi, hoping to grasp onto her attention.

Sakura gave no response.

The silver-haired man released a harsh breath and knelt beside her, nearly bumping into Shikamaru, who was still trying to calm her down.

He had to do something, so he did. But that something was an attempt on something absolutely new. He chose to comfort her in a total different way. It was an action that he never gave to her in the life-span of their friendship, a gift that reached a different scale of comfort. It was a doing that he promised himself to never do again, but apparently, he was going to break that promise just for _her._ Just for Sakura Haruno. And soon, people would view him as a changed person. . . a kind, caring person.

Kakashi bent over her and took her into his arms, pulling her close to his chest, shocking everyone around him, even the person he was holding. He began to cradle her back in forth, forcing her to settle her head on his shoulder. Eventually, her breathing slowed and calmed, signaling that she had finished her downpour of tears. But as she finished crying, he did not let go. He felt as if this was right. He felt as if hugging her...being beside her...helping her was correct. He believed that she would wind him in the right direction. Sakura, of course, was pondering about that as well, but in a deeply, more emotional manner.

"Kakashi I-"

"You don't have to tell me anything, Sakura. If it's something you'd keep to yourself, keep it to yourself," interrupted Kakashi, letting her free from his grasp.

Sakura pulled back and rested her back on the couch behind her. She kept her gaze at the ground, eyes following the dents and cracks to where Shikamaru sat, who seemed pleasantly happy. She suddenly smiled in amusement, letting everyone know that she was okay. Well technically, she wasn't really okay but in a decent mood to be talked to. Her feelings about him were all too much and are still haunting her at this very moment, but it's better to let your friends know that you're all better, rather than having them worry.

"I love you all. You're all great friends."

Shikamaru coughed into the sleeve of his shirt and muttered, "Eh?"

Sakura shook her head in disappointment as Shikamaru lazily went on about how friends can't love each other unless they are a couple, which was unexpectedly odd. Rather than turning to talk to Ino, who was listening intently to Shikamaru, she turned to face Kakashi, who seemed annoyed. Apparently, his expression said all.

She slightly grinned at him and received a bigger one in return.

"Your welcome."

And that was his final word for the night.

* * *

**A/N: That's it everyone! I hope you liked it, although the ending was a bit awkward, huh? Yes, I think it's awkward. Anyways, thanks for reading my story.**

**From the previous chapter, I announced that I would publish another story and I did, but the first chapter is really short! But I have to admit, it is a BIG attention grabber, as of what I was told. **

**Thanks for the nice comments!**

**Nice Feedback/Reviews are appreciated! (I'm not forcing you to do it ^^ silly)**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	11. We Meet Again

**A/N: Yo, this is XxNarutoFanGurlxX. Just letting you all know, I might change my pen name. Might. Anyways, this is the 11th chapter! Thanks to those who leaves reviews/feedback! It all means a lot!**

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Another silent, few days fell into the past, bringing people to the day that took place after New Year's Day. Of course, everyone in Konoha had celebrated gratefully and had an amazing time. But unfortunately, very few people didn't show up, such as a silver-haired man, which disappointed his pink-haired pupil and her buddies. In fact, he wasn't seen since the day he had gave a very comforting gift to her, which had worried her. That was nearly a week ago, and she was still unknown of the whereabouts of his presence. She never even saw his nice, masculine figure stride down the hallway. His scent, which smelled more like an aftershave, was no longer stuck to the cold, plastered walls. His apartment no longer made small noises, in which he usually made when working out in his living room. It was a completely quiet week, but while she and her friends pondered about his whereabouts, _he _was sitting under a cherry blossom tree, which appeared as healthy as any other tree in the season of Spring.

He was silently leaned against the trunk of the tree, legs crossed and face dug deep into the pages of a bright orange book that read: Icha Icha Madness. He was swiftly flipping through pages, trying to find the perfect chapter to start off on. Of course, he had read the whole series, even the special volume, Icha Icha in School. And that book was oddly similar to his own life, where a teacher meets a student and becomes great friends, but eventually, the girl falls for him, but the teacher doesn't know if he felt the same thing. It was so awkward that he needed to read or do something else to take that off his mind, which brings us back to why he was reading the same book over and over again. It also brings us back to the reason of his disappearance.

And the only answer to that was _her _and _his_ actions.

She had brought him most of those love-experiencing situations, such as choosing whether to comfort her or not or choosing to even talk to her. Another thing was that he actually enjoyed doing those things, but it causes them to become even closer, which frightened him. Like the other day, when he had gave her a small hug, but really, it changed the way of how he thought about her...Which brings us back, yet again, to_ that_ book. It explains all of the teacher's problems with the student. For example, trying to look as normal as possible when he was wanting her _badly_. And actually, that had happened to him once...It was a disturbing memory, indeed.

He was still sitting beneath the shade of pink, cherry-colored petals, but was no longer reading. Instead, he was gazing out over the horizon, watching the sun peek out from behind the thick clouds. It was soon to be Spring, so it would be a good time to watch the seasons shift. It wasn't a decent idea, but decent enough to take his mind off his predicaments.

He sluggishly pushed the two flaps of the book together, crushing them into one thick stack of papers in one slick motion. He then placed the brightly-colored book on a soft, moist section of grass that had very little flakes of snow. This meant he was right. Spring was soon to come and take Winter's place, and the sun would then wash all snow away from sight. This was good news toward him though, for snow wasn't too appealing from before, when he had rolled over and over with a pink-haired girl lying in his arms...

Oh no.

He's thinking of her again.

Oh how the gods_ loved_ to torture him.

And while he was digging his face into the palm of his hands in frustration, another girl was doing something similar to his actions. And that girl had to be Sakura Haruno, for no one else would do that unless they are trapped in a situation of love.

"Oh, Sakura-chan? You stopped eating your ramen. Does that mean I get to finish it?"

She adjusted her chin so it would be prodding her knuckles, then gave her yellow-haired friend a long, distressful glare. Oh how he annoyed her...

"Naruto," she snarled, "just because I stopped eating doesn't mean you get to have another free snack."

"Jeez, Sakura-chan! A simple no would have solved the problem. What's up with you anyways?" he gobbled, sucking in a long, single noodle with a loud _swoop!_

Sakura let out a harsh groan and stared at the golden liquid that commented the soft, grainy noodles swimming abroad. Her reflection was rippled and unclear, making her look disastrous and horrible. She looked more like an evil ghoul than an innocent, kind girl. Is this what had made _him_ run away?

She took a quick glimpse of Naruto, hoping that he wasn't observing her. And the good thing was that he wasn't, but was staring at her meal that lay before her, his mouth watering. Of course...Of course he would do that. So she hung her head in defeat and pushed the bowl hard enough so that it can slide and stop in front of him. This surprised him though, but he accepted her offer anyways and proudly ate every last bite of the ramen. Pig. That can describe him. A sloppy, fun-to-hang-around-with friend. Pig.

She sighed and crossed her arms on the table, then nestled her cheekbone into the hollow hole shaped like a diamond. She was desperately in pain. No. Not pain. She was desperately in _need._ In need for...Well, there are many possibilities of to what was necessary in her life, but right now, the only thing that actually fit into that small empty hole was _him._ That silver-haired man whom she missed dearly. Oh, where did he go?

As she thought of the many places that he would visit, the man that she missed terribly was still sitting under that cherry blossom tree, but was now dozed off, too exhausted from pondering deeply. Yes, it was a small thing to do, but the many paths that his predicament could lead to began to shatter his thinking process, for it was all too difficult to solve. And, well, thinking was a hard thing to do in his point of view. He hated thinking. He hated thinking of many things, but the only thing he actually enjoyed pondering about was _her._

Her joyful smile always brought happiness to the world, her pink hair complimented everything about her, her rosy cheeks always brought him amusement, and last but not least, those emerald eyes were easy to get lost in. It was always full of lust and forever will have lust. She was an unusual girl. She was an amazing friend. She was fun to hang around with. She was one of a kind.

He woke up to a small shuffling noise in the thin snow below him, only to find a dark shadow looming over him. He squinted his eyes at the bright light from behind the dark figure that was begging to get through. Light. Sun. He hasn't seen them in a long time. Since...Fall perhaps?

"Hatake."

Oh that voice. That low, flat-toned voice. That could only be him. Only him.

He pushed some of his silver hair out of the way and yanked the itching scarf, then threw the accessory onto the pile of leaves beside him. It was growing warm, which pleased him very much. It was nice to feel the heat on your skin...

A sudden feel of impatience punched him straight in the stomach, telling him that he cannot keep his visitor waiting any longer. He could burst any moment.

"Yes, Genma?" he wallowed, throat still dry from his sleep.

"Kakashi Hatake, my great-looking friend, was found sleeping under a feminine-like tree. Explanation, please." he snorted, his dark black eyes haunting his lone one.

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows and groaned, "It's a long story. I don't think that you'd even wanna hear it."

"Fine, I'll push you to it later. But I still want an explanation to of why you aren't around in the cities anymore," murmured Genma, tightening the knot of his bandanna.

Kakashi gave no reply. It was all private. Put it as a...secret. Yes, this was a terrible secret. Okay, not terrible, but shocking. He can never let anyone in on his discoveries, and if he did, she could have found out that he leaked it all out, then she would never forgive him again. But eventually-no-soon. Soon she would have to tell him. But when, exactly?

"Ah, avoiding someone, hm?" he guessed, lifting and rolling his shoulders in circular motions.

Again, there was no response. Genma was only repaid with silence and a small howl of the wind, but actually, that small howl was a soft gasp that escaped the lips of a girl. No, not a regular, everyday child. It was_ her, _Sakura Haruno, who was just going to take a seat in her favorite scenery spot until she found out that there were company, so she hid behind that hallow, thick block of bark.

And then she had just found out that he was trying to avoid her.

And then her heart began to sink deeply into her chest, almost drowning her.

And _now_ . . . she was feeling pain.

* * *

Another week passed, and then a month, then two months, but still, the two who were meant to be never made any special contact of some sort. They haven't even had a decent conversation, besides all of those 'student, teacher' questions. They haven't hung around each other for even a few minutes, besides when they were forced by the school district to take Teacher and Student pictures, but yet, they didn't even feel a single spark of emotion. All feelings were drained away and lost in the ocean, and can no longer be gathered together, for all pieces were broken and gone. Their bond. Their friendship. It has minimized to _mere acquaintances._ Yes, just acquaintances.

But _why_?

Why. Well, the only person can answer that was him, Kakashi Hatake, who painfully decided that he, himself, should avoid her, Sakura Haruno, for his own good. For her own good.

It felt all too right, but then again, it felt all too wrong. He cannot decide.

But _why_?

Why didn't she go out and push him to the limit where he can't handle her anymore, then just take her in and love her?

Why didn't she?

Why. Well, she had decided that she has had enough of him, although, she still loves him very much, but has kept her feelings locked in the bottom of her heart.

But _why_?

Why couldn't they just love each other like they really do?

Why didn't they?

Well, they chose not to.

But maybe, just maybe, they will be lead to the right path once again, and will find true love yet again. It_ should _be their destiny. It absolutely _must _be their destiny.

And their destiny was met on a warm, summer Monday in the land of Konoha, under that very cherry blossom tree whom he and she had shared secretly.

He was simply striding down a narrow dirt path that seemed never-ending in the eyes of others, located in a lush green park that was once said to create miracles. But to him, that was bullshit. Miracles. Dreams. They never come true, and the reason to why he hated them so much was because his never came true. His dream to have a happy, non-frustrating life. His long wish for a miracle that would bring him happiness. They never became reality. They always stayed as a fantasy.

He sighed in distress and pressed on with his walk, deciding that he had thought enough for the day. Pondering about his life that was now known as a failure pained him too much and lowered his self-esteem.

He stuck his hands down the pockets of his jeans, then lifted his head to the sky to watch the passing flock of birds. Konoha was a beautiful land, indeed, and satisfied many, including the animals. It wasn't a fancy area to live in, but the scenery changed nearly everyone's view of it, which was what had brought him to this place. And he never regretted it.

His silver, ruffled hair flew in front of his face, blocking the trail he was following from sight. He grumbled angrily and pushed the portion of hair away from the area it covered, now exposing a long scar that trailed down his right eye.

He was done hiding his miserable life. He was tired from hiding his horrible life. If he was already known for his loneliness, then why not show proof?

He fixed his hair so that it would no longer be covering his scarred eye and continued his little adventure around the park, ignoring most of the content stares he received. Although, he wasn't actually opening it. He was keeping his left eye open while the right was sealed shut, which was definitely unusual, but for him, it grew out of habit. At least...At least he wasn't showing the real horror in his abused eye. And the only person who had actually seen this abuse was _her_, Sakura Haruno.

Oh how she brought back good memories...

Maybe tossing her out of his life was a bad idea...

He nearly choked on his own breath, realizing what he just thought.

No. No. She was a bad influence on him. She always brought him inappropriate thoughts of her smooth, curved body...about her soft-looking li-

There it goes again.

He threw his face into the palm of his hands in frustration. They haven't spoke to each other for nearly two months, and yet, he was still pondering about her with passion. _Urrrgh._

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted something beautiful and pink, but fortunately, it wasn't her. But it was her favorite cherry blossom tree that she had always sat under when her emotions drove her mad. And now, she has passed on her favorites to him, so now he had obtained them as well, which was a bit odd.

He strode to the tree with ease, careful to not trip over left over twigs and rocks from the winter. Finally, when he had reached the chipped bark of the large, thin trunk, he settled his hand on it as if he was grasping onto a pole, then swiftly spun himself around like a pole dancer. Maybe he shouldn't have done that. Good thing no one saw his gay-ish act.

Right when he was about to seat himself under the pink, cherry canopy from above, a pair of emerald eyes locked with his. And only one person had that amazing, shining emerald color.

He stood still in horror, shocked to find her on such a busy day of the month. The pink-haired student mimicked his actions, although, she was sitting down. The two were both shocked, and neither knew if it was right to converse with each other after a long period of time. But finally, she was brave enough to speak up.

"I haven't seen you for a while, Mr. Hatake," she murmured, tucking her hair strands behind her ear.

Oh, so she felt so uncomfortable that she only was able to address him by his last name.

The silver-haired teacher rolled his shoulders, relieving himself of arising tension, and replied, "Miss Haruno."

If she was going to address him properly, might as well do so back to her. Play along, perhaps.

Sakura frantically hugged her knees, unsure of what to do. They haven't spoke to each other for such a long time that it scared her to even be face-to-face with him. She does still have a hint of feelings left for him (not as big as from before), but was worried if it would rise again to that special level where she can no longer hold it all in. Why oh why...Why must he be here?

"How is...school?" he gulped.

That told her, right there, that he was making an attempt to begin a conversation. Wow. He was actually trying.

"Decent. I'm getting good grades, although, I'm not really having a lot of fun." she replied, tensing down.

"No one likes boredom," he whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear.

Was he that nervous?

In fact, he was, for he was also unsure of how to talk to her.

Kakashi forced a smile, but it failed, resulting in a creepy grin, which scared the wits out of his student. He soon realized this and sheepishly chuckled, "I-I'm sorry for scaring you with my smile. I didn't talk to you for a long time now, you see, and I...I can't get a hold of myself."

Sakura forced a smile in return, as well, but it wasn't a failure like his. It actually looked real. "Don't worry, Mr. Ha-aah-Kakashi. I'm nervous, myself."

Now she remembered to call him by his first name...

She watched him grip onto the tree bark, as if both legs were ready to collapse any minute. And he has been walking, so that explains his sudden weakness in his knees, but she obviously didn't know that.

As she watched him try to steady himself, she began to feel bad, for she was making him stand while she was comfortably sitting on the lush, soft ground below.

She couldn't believe that she was about to do this...

"You can sit down beside me, Kakashi. I don't mind, really. You look...tired." she invited, voice almost drowned with dryness. It was hard to do this.

Kakashi gratefully accepted her offer and settled himself beside her, his crossed legs almost touching hers. He was glad that she had invited him to sit down to relax, but it felt awkward because it was absolute silence afterward.

For a few minutes, only silence was exchanged from one another. It was only a few minutes, but the amount of silence began to haunt both of them, causing them to shudder with discomfort. And then they both knew that someone had to talk now, and fast.

So _he_ had granted their wish.

"Sakura," he coughed, making an attempt to capture her attention.

It was a success.

"Yes?" she mumbled, her fingers playfully running across the thin roots of the grass.

"We haven't talked for so long," he whispered, voice trailing off.

Sakura soon began to wonder about this little predicament she was situated in. Where was this conversation leading to?

"And," he continued, "it's my fault of why we haven't done so."

Sakura then bit her lip and held her teeth in place, until the skin grew purple, then red, as if blood was ready to pour out.

He was_ finally_ apologizing.

* * *

**A/N: Like it? Don't like it? Well, I absolutely agree with you.**

**I'm sorry for the long wait (I suppose it is a long wait), but I injured myself on the track in my school (unfortunately, the track is not rubber like most school's) and scraped both knees and right hand. My right knee was badly cut and half of it is bandaged. My left is 'so so'. My right hand was deeply cut, so it's making it difficult to type. So I am sorry for the inconvenience, and I am also sorry that this will be another future inconvenience.**

**Okay.**

**I'm sorry.**

**Thanks for the reviews/feedback! More are appreciated!**

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	12. I Forgive You

**A/N: Yo, this is the 12th chapter of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. I'd just like to thank all of those people who had read my stories, left some feedback/reviews, or favorited me as an author (or the story itself) It all means a lot.**

**PLEASE READ THE WHOLE PARAGRAPH. I understand that it can get boring, but it is best to do so that you understand the chapter. PLEASE. Thanks!**

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"We haven't talked for so long," he whispered, voice trailing off.

He knew that his statement was correct. He knew his statement was a true fact. They, indeed, haven't conversed for a long period of time, which was nearly two months. And during that time period, it separated them dearly, unwinding their once tightly-built bond to only a small, thin connection. Mere acquaintances is another word for that description.

"And," he continued, "it's my fault of why we haven't done so."

He knew it was his fault for their now diminished friendship. He knew that it was his decision that had caused this enormous separation between her and him. He never thought back to that moment where he encountered her true feelings after pushing her away from his life. He thought it was for her own good, but really, it was tearing her apart in the inside. And now he was regretting his own past doings. She was his own little piece of satisfaction in life, and he had let her go like a useless tool.

So now, he was _finally _apologizing.

He focused his gaze on her pale-skinned face, observing her as she bit her lip in realization.

He knew that eventually, she and her friends would find out that he was avoiding her. Maybe this was a simple result in leaving her.

"Your...fault?" she gulped, finally brave enough to continue their conversation.

He gave her a hard, cold stare. Her expression was unnerving and a little frightening. He was guessing that she was fighting her emotions off.

"Yes, it is my fault." He paused, unsure if he should continue or not. His next comment might bring her sorrow.

"Because I tried avoiding you."

The female sitting next to him forced her gaze upon something else and gave no response toward him. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to respond. She didn't even want to talk, but wanted for him to continue speaking. She wanted to decipher that facial expression of his and find out whether if they shared the same feelings or not.

He sighed in frustration and arched his arm up, then rested his chin on the palm of his hands. "I was afraid to let our friendship blossom." His voice was muffled, due to the coverage of his mouth.

He slid his fingers through his ruffled, silver hair, untying and unwinding knots and twists. He then opened his right eye, finally creating a pair of mismatched eyes, which to his surprise, didn't shock her. He continued to play around with the materials around him, impatiently waiting for an answer from his little prodigy. Unfortunately, she kept still and said no word, forcing him to end their conversation.

He rose his hand to her shoulder and settled it there, his fingers softly rubbing circles on her exposed skin, which surprisingly took a liking in her interest. He let his hand drown out all of the tension, but left it there on her shoulder bone as if touching her was necessary in his life. He kept his concentration on her, but his gaze was elsewhere. He didn't want to look at her.

"I'm sorry."

And that was all he said before taking off, leaving her alone once again under the pink shades of the canopy from above.

Her eyes finally flew to the masculine figure that was slowly trudging away, soon watering to the sight of him leaving. She had witnessed his apology, but would she forgive him? I mean...he has been pushing her away and left her broken-hearted in one of the worst possible ways. He made a terrible choice that had brought her pain and despair. He was once her friend. He was once her love. But would she forgive him?

She patiently waited for him to disappear behind the crowd of trees, then stood up herself and began her journey back home. Her steps were slick and smooth, but you could tell that she was shaking. Her facial expression was nothing-less, but the sparkle in her eyes told everything. She was trying her very best to make herself look absolutely normal, but apparently, trouble found its way around her barriers.

After thirty minutes of sluggish traveling, she found her way back to her apartment building, carelessly tripping over twigs and rocks left over from the past seasons. She then walked up the front steps, but paused for a short second, feeling another presence crawling up her spine.

She tilted her head back and twisted it to the right, only to find nothing but the breeze swinging leaves by. She had thought someone was there, ready to talk to her, but maybe it was simply her imagination. Her mind was probably teasing her.

She sighed in distress and gripped onto the metal knob and pulled the tinted glass door back, allowing her body to fly into the building. She forced a smile and greeted the front desk-man, then quickly strode to the elevator, hoping to avoid any close contact with the middle-aged man who appeared to be attracted to her. She then entered the metallic elevator shaft and pressed the button that read _3rd Floor_. She patiently waited as she felt herself rise a level every few moments, and when she had finally got to her floor, she swiftly exited the elevator and strode to her apartment room.

She flung her pink bangs away from her forehead, which had brought her the very name Billboard Brow, and stuck the appropriate key in the key-shaped hole and twisted it, resulting in a loud _click!_ She carefully glanced around her, making sure that no one was trailing her, for she still felt an uneasy presence. Eventually, she scrambled into her apartment, unable to take the squirming, frightening feeling and locked the door.

And indeed, someone was following her, but it wasn't an everyday person. It wasn't an ignorant child nor an elderly person, but it was a silver-haired man.

When he had left her alone under her favorite cherry blossom tree, he had waited at a bench nearby to rest his legs for a quick few minutes, then began to walk home once again. But along the way, he didn't realize that he was following his pink-haired pupil until they had reached the apartment building that they shared. So this explains the disturbing presence that she had felt a while back.

So now he was lying on his bed in the comfort of his home, pondering deeply about his past and present friends.

First of all, there was Obito and Rin. Obito died trying to save him from an avalanche when they were hiking on a mountain, and Rin was still alive and well today, but they didn't speak to each other as much as before. Then Genma, Raido, Izumo, Kotetsu, Kurenai, Ibiki and many more came along as he entered his new teaching career at the Leaf University. Afterward, he met Sakura and her closest friends and became acquaintances with them, but with Sakura, their bond was much more different than any other bond that he has had.

And it felt good...

He closed his scarred eye, hiding the blood-red eye from sight, then crossed his arms, settling his hands beneath his silver hair. He felt his body shift and flex as he did this. Apparently, he wasn't wearing a shirt, but only black sweat pants, which seemed pretty appealing. It was too hot out, nearly one hundred degrees, and he couldn't take the heat anymore. So now he lay relaxed, wearing no top but only pants.

He glared at the ceiling above, having nothing to occupy him. It has been nearly an hour of thinking, which disappointed him. He thought that he would fall asleep during this process, but I guess not. Oh how his life disappointed him and what used to be his parents.

Finally, he thought that he should think about that pink-haired girl. _No._ She is a _woman,_ now. Not a little, playful girl.

He remembered seeing her under that pink canopy, which matched her curly, smooth locks. Her emerald eyes were shining and full of lust, her face was shy and hidden behind the arms that hugged her legs, and finally, her lips were pressed together and closed, sparkling and waiting to be touched by the lips of another man.

Oh how he admired those soft lips of hers...Oh how he wished how his would be on hers...

He slowly drifted off into his own fantasy dream, his hands trembling in anticipation. But soon enough, he quickly snapped out of what seemed to be a sexual fantasy and shoved his two hands behind his back, preventing them from touching the most...pleasurable and private places.

No. He can never do this. Never.

He gritted his teeth, a small squeaking sound resulting. He closed both eyes and began clearing his mind of those...inappropriate and unnecessary thoughts. He left himself in this awkward position for at least three minutes before sitting up and arching his back on the wall.

He let his hands fall to his waist as his head fell back to stare at the ceiling once again. He could not believe that just happened, for that rarely happened to men like him. To men who were civilized and calm, but seeming so, he had just broke those requirements for those 'spontaneous' men.

His silver hair suddenly flew across his face, surprising him in many different ways. His mismatched eyes flew toward the window that was open. He didn't remember opening the window, but ignored that foolish fact and trudged toward it, readily approaching it. He finally reached the square-shaped opening and stuck his arms out and gripped onto both ends of to what seals it shut. He then pulled to ends together, resulting in a small _ba-roomp!_ The sound meant that the window was successfully closed.

But before moving himself back to his bed to rest, he pressed his forehead against the window, his eyes catching a glimpse of four familiar faces. His heart began to pound faster as he searched through the available space that was visible in his angle, trying to find those people that he thought he recognized. And soon enough, he had found them slowly walking down the sidewalk, nearing the apartment building that he lie in.

He glared at the four figures with very little interest, watching them chat their way to the doorway. Eventually, his eyes locked with a pair of dark blue eyes whom belonged to a yellow-haired boy. The boy kept his gaze on his, soon grabbing the attention around him. Finally, four eyes were settled on him which apparently belonged to Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and _of course_, Sakura Haruno.

The four students stared at the sealed window, for there was a very familiar person behind it. Kakashi Hatake.

His silver hair was ruffled but appealing in a way, and his two eyes were now visible, meaning that they had finally encountered the uncommon colored eye that he obtained. He wasn't wearing any shirt of some sort, exposing his nicely-built muscles, but was only wearing a pair of black sweat pants, or at least, that's what they thought.

For a moment, Kakashi thought they were frightened by his personal looks, such as his scarred eye, but a minute later, they were all smiling and waving toward him. It enlightened the gloomy mood, but he wasn't satisfied, for not all were waving. Only Sakura was standing still, as if she didn't know what to do.

Waves were still being thrown at him, so he decided to say hello back to tell them that he was proud to see them again. Yes, he was proud and happy, but not joyful. Something was still missing. _Her_.

Kakashi kept his gaze on the group of students below. All three were still looking up at him, happy and confused. But Kiba turned his attention away from him to Akamaru, his gigantic dog who was now skidding around the lawn uncontrollably. The brunette reacted quickly and began to chase after his frantic pet, Naruto following soon after. Hinata then realized that the chase was on, hurriedly whispered something in Sakura's ear, and headed to the nearby tree where the two boys rested with Akamaru on their lap. And Sakura still stood before him, her emerald eyes locked with his mismatched eyes.

Finally, she made very little movement, which pleased him _much._

Her hand flew up and swiftly moved from side to side in a greeting motion, and her puzzled frown eventually grew into a small, playful smile.

Kakashi turned his back on her, but his head tilted back so that she can still see his face. He repaid the favor with a scratch of his head and a sheepish grin, resulting in a _seeming-so_ giggling response from the pinkette. Maybe this meant that they were_ friends_ once again. Maybe this meant that she had_ forgiven_ him.

Well, she _did._

Sakura knew that with a small, joyous smile, _all_ predicaments would be solved.

She _accepted _his apology for his foolish acts.

Her friends gathered around her, wondering deeply about the reasons for her smile.

"What's up, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto, his yellow hair flying with the wind.

Kiba cringed his eyes, the red marks on his cheeks extending in opposite directions. "Yeah, Sakura_-chan_! What's up?" His tone sounded as if he was emphasizing Naruto's question, but in a more mocking tone.

Sakura pushed her bangs away from her face and her cheeks grew rosy. "I'm just happy. That's all."

Naruto and Hinata quickly caught on to the unusual dryness in her throat, but Kiba was still puzzled, as usual. He was never good at paying close attention to those 'smallest' things. Actually, his best things were his senses. They always reacted to those smallest smells or noises...Perhaps that is why people call him 'Doggy Boy' or 'Pupster'. But it was stupid nicknames, and that was the only comment she had in mind. Stupid nicknames. But apparently, he didn't mind...

Kiba moved in front of her, his puzzled expression removing her from thought. He waved at her, hoping to get her attention, but Sakura merely blinked a couple of times, still trying to clear her blurred vision. "Sakura. Sakura. Sakura." He continuously repeated her name, eventually annoying others.

Sakura furrowed her eyes and perked her lips. Oh boy. She was angry.

"Let's go in?" suggested the brunette, his arms crossing behind his head. It seemed as if he didn't notice her anger.

Stupid._ Yes._ Stupid. That described Kiba more than_ anything_ else.

Sakura forced a smile, her eye twitching every now and then. She was beginning to think that she was turning out to be exactly like Tsunade-sama. But she was under tutoring circumstances with her, so she can't blame her.

"Sure. I'll be glad to make you guys a snack," she offered, making an attempt to slow her infuriating pulse.

And off they went, readily approaching the pink-haired girl's apartment room, hungrily chatting about what snacks they wished to have. Of course, most of that chattering was from Kiba and Naruto, but it wasn't unexpected. And of course, Hinata volunteered to help, and as usual, Sakura tried to reject her help, but as always, Hinata won the battle and helped her anyways. It was beginning to seem a little like de ja vu.

Finally, they reached their destination, Sakura gladly allowing her visitors in first. And two reasons could explain why she had done so. First of all, it was a completely nice thing to do, especially when you have friends over. Second reason, she didn't want to be a burden. She had always wanted to be kind and gentle to her long-time friends and guests, but unfortunately, the gentle movement wasn't working out as well as she thought.

Sakura was just about to enter her home herself, but a small _creek!_ and _bru-ump!_ echoed in the empty hallway. She knew that couldn't have been her, for she didn't close the door yet. So the only way to find out was to turn around, and she did, only to find a pair of familiar eyes locked with her gaze. "Yo, Sakura." She gulped nervously in response, and kept her back against the door, nearly shutting it.

A sudden demand called out to her. "Sakura-chan! Come on! Can't keep your guests' stomachs empty!" She knew it was Naruto. But before she could answer, a small stuttering voice replied, "Don't worry, Sakura! I'll tend to these needs. Do your errand first!" Well, that situation was solved and done...So much for her help...

"May I speak to you for a second?" The masculine figure took a step forward, his hand being laid out in front.

Sakura nodded slowly and twirled around him, skidding to a halt against the opposite wall. She pressed herself back against the cold, hardened wall, her eyes still tied with his.

_Is there a reason to his presence? _she thought, her mind swirling in anticipation.

"What do you need?" she asked, pretending to act like she knows nothing about his personal thoughts.

He shook his head, his silver hair following with the movement. "Listen, I'm-"

"Really sorry? Yeah, I know."

She let her head hang, her hair slowly swishing from side to side. Soon, she became mesmerized by the movement of her hair, for it was acting somewhat like a hypnotizing watch. Okay, maybe not mesmerized, but occupied. If she wasn't occupied, those thoughts would crawl back into her brain, forcing her to ponder about them. And oh...oh how she hated that.

She glimpsed at Kakashi again, only to find him frowning, his eyes cringing in disturbance. He has changed over the past few months she had known him. First of all, his personality completely shifted from shy and stern to annoyed, stubborn, kind, honest, bra-Oh she can go on and on about this. Next, the way he acts around people has changed too. He seems to open himself a little more, allowing a conversation to begin between him and the other(s), but he's been opening too much toward her. And it seems as if it was always on purpose, barely by accident.

Soon enough, the silver-haired man noticed the huge amount of attention he was receiving and concentrated on her, which apparently captured her attention. _Is she ready to talk?_ he pondered, his eyebrows arching inward.

"I forgive you," she murmured, her fingers intact with her curly, pink locks.

Kakashi settled himself against the wall, his arm nearly touching hers. He then opened his scarred eye and stared out into the open hallway.

"For what, exactly?" he mumbled.

Her statement was so sudden that at the moment, it made no sense whatsoever.

"For your disappearance," she replied.

Now he knew what she meant.

"Don't forgive me Sakura," he began, "I banished you from my life by choice and left you hanging with a..broken heart. I was an amazing friend toward you, but I guess I couldn't handle it then." He paused, patiently waiting for her to catch up with his explanation. "I was afraid to open myself up to people like you. I couldn't handle people like you, but you somehow forced me to appreciate your kind. I was always frightened when I left a small section of my shell open, especially when it happens around you. But it was a simple experience that was meant to be experienced."

Sakura just repeatedly nodded, having nothing more to say. This rejection toward her forgiveness was interesting, yet saddening.

"I soon found myself in a battle of emotions and unanswered reasons. I didn't know then if I should have been more...open and kind toward you and not rough or commanding. Yes, I did expose, at some times, my soft side toward you, such as offering a ride to school...But during those events, I was struggling to become your friend. I just don't understand how you and your friends and...all of those people I have met...I don't understand how you guys are fond of me. I don't understand how you can push my harsh doings away and forgive me just like that. I don't u-"

He held his speaking to a halt. He was opening himself up for her again.

Kakashi brushed his hand across his face to wipe off of what appeared to be tear stains. _Was I crying?_

Sakura's ears perked to the sound of silence. He had seized his explanation. But why? It was so _interesting _to listen to, but maybe there was a _reason _to the sudden halt of his voice echoing in the hallway. Maybe he was _afraid _again. _Worried_. Worried to open up to her and explain the reason of all of those unknown doings. So now she knows most of to why he has done all of those stuff through inferring and listening, but maybe she will _never_ know the rest. Maybe the rest was_ meant_ to be left _unsolved_.

"Kakashi." Her small, squeaky voice broke the unbearable silence. It was time to respond.

"Kakashi, I forgive you okay? All I ask from you is to agree and put this event aside. I forgive you, so you should be happy now," she breathed, her gaze meeting his. She didn't flinch, for that surprised him because most flinched when they saw his mismatched eyes.

Kakashi shuddered at the sound of calmness in her tone, causing his muscular, sleeveless arm to bump into hers. Why-How could she be so calm?

"I don't believe you."

That was all he said before receiving a small embrace from his pink-haired student. Her body soon met with his and melted into him, the warmth growing deeper and deeper. He could feel her cheek bones nestle against hard-cored chest, he could feel her foolish smile widen, he could feel her arms tighten around his waist. And all he could do was stare at the top of her head, wondering why she had done so. Why?

She skipped backward, stopping in front of her door, her body still facing him. Her grin was small but sheepish, in a way. Perhaps she was embarrassed. Perhaps it was something she didn't want to do, but it happened anyways.

"I forgive you."

And that was all she said before entering the comfort of her home. And then those three words began to poke and prod at his brain, continuously haunting his mind.

_~I forgive you~_

Kakashi blinked once, then twice, then finally, thrice.

_~I forgive you~_

He strode toward his door, his coordination in foot slurred with thought.

_~I forgive you~_

He twisted the knob and allowed himself in.

_~I forgive you~_

Kakashi settled himself on the couch, sluggishly snagging a water bottle that sat beside him.

_~I forgive you~_

He opened the cap and swallowed three big gulps of water, his throat gurgling in response.

_~I forgive you~_

He leaned his head back to glare at the ceiling.

_~I forgive you~_

Perhaps she wasn't kidding.

Perhaps she actually had forgiven him.

* * *

**A/N: How did you like it? Nice? Saddening? Hurtful? Dramatizing? Horrible? Ugly? Well, as always, I totally agree with you!**

**I appreciate all of your nice Reviews/Feedback, and of course, more are appreciated! Thanks!**

**And thanks to those who actually _read every single paragraph_ there was in this chapter. So for those who didn't, don't ask me a bunch of questions for one of the answers to them might be in this chapter. **

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	13. Love? Oh no

**A/N: Yo, this is the thirteenth chapter of Cherry Blossoms and Snow! I just hope you enjoy it, and remember, read ALL paragraphs to understand the chapter! And it will be long, for the beginning isn't about the pairing, but just bare with me and read. Thankies! **

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**The leaves danced joyously in the soft breeze, swiftly flying around the lush, green field of Konoha. The sun peeked out over the horizon, sending beams of light in every direction. The sky slowly went from the dark shades of black to the light colors of blue, white cotton balls following soon after. It was a beautiful day indeed, and it was a great time of the day to head out and take a dip in the refreshing water.

Her body was resting on a thin, blue sheet that spread over the grainy, peach-colored ground. Her stomach was face-down on the beach towel, her chin resting on her crossed arms. Her legs stretched down, her toes sifting into the soft sand. She smiled beneath the arms that covered her mouth, her body enjoying the given comfort. It was so relaxing that it was almost too tiring.

She flipped her body over so that her face would be able to gaze at the red-colored shade above and settled her hands beneath her pink hair. A sudden rush of wind hit her skin and flesh, sending pleasurable shivers down her spine. She had forgotten that she was in swimsuit wear; a light blue bikini top and a darker blue for the bottom-wear. It was almost like an aquatic rainbow.

She set her concentration on her surroundings, soon adjusting to the sound of her accompanying friends' laughter. Her eyes followed a yellow-haired figure who was gently caressing a dark blue-haired girl's arm, making her blush furiously. He then chuckled ignorantly and walked away from her, leaving her with the most inappropriate thoughts, and strode to a brunette who was taking a ride on his beastly, white pet. The brown-haired boy grinned, the red marks on his cheeks extending in opposite directions. He smirked at the arriving person and commanded his dog to rush to the water, where four more of her friends stood. A blond-headed girl squealed and ran away, leaving a black bowl-headed guy to push the others away from the attack. He was pushed over by the gigantic pet and fell into the shallow water, leaving the other two annoyed as hell.

The pinkette laughed at this as she watched her closest friends argue in the most unbearable, unusual way. But her soft giggles and chuckles held to a halt when their attention flew to her. She then knew she was in trouble.

"Sakura-chan! Don't think you're not in the game!" the yellow-haired boy called out, his hands cupped around his mouth to extend the echo.

Her lips perked and pressed together nervously. She scrambled to her feet, realizing that they weren't kidding, for the content glares she was receiving was all too much to be 'just kidding'. Her eyebrows arched inward, her eyes widening to the nearing brunette and his wild pet. She absolutely knew she was in trouble.

She sprinted to the shore, her legs growing heavy as she pushed herself through the little waves of the ocean. The two boys followed her with a skip of their feet, their hands flying in the air as they enjoyed the speed of their chase. Her pink hair flew away from her face as she felt herself being pulled into the water, her face soon drowning into the blue abyss. Her eyes fluttered open under the salty, clear liquid, only to find the black-haired Uchiha grinning deviously. She shook her head and swam up to the surface, a splash resulting. Her head poked out of the ocean, a big grin widening on her face. She was in a funny predicament indeed.

Sasuke soon rose up next to her, his hair damp and ruffled. "Lee and Neji told me to do it," he coughed, his throat seeming to be full of water.

As if he knew she was going to slap him across the face, he quickly swam to Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten, who were only a couple of yards away. She smirked at his action. He was smart to do that, and if he didn't, he would have died right here, right now. But now she was alone in the water, being avoided by that Uchiha who apparently seemed frightened, but as if someone read her mind, Hinata and Ino came rushing in the water to accompany her. She was then glad to have great, awesome friends.

Her emerald eyes soften and filled itself with lust as she heard her friends' laughter boom in the atmosphere. It was always nice to have a day of being nowhere but with your friends. If they had never existed, she would have ended up as lonely as a ghostly graveyard, which was definitely unwanted. To be a cruel, lonely soul was nothing. And that's exactly why she was thankful for having amazing buddies.

"Sakura-chan."

She turned to the direction where her name was called out, only to find Naruto Uzumaki standing on the shore of the beach, a white towel draped over his shoulders.

"Should we head out to eat soon?" he continued, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks swerving as his mouth moved.

Sakura's stomach suddenly gurgled quietly in response, then twisted both ways. Now that you think about it, she hasn't eaten lunch for a while, and she was pretty sure it was two hours past noon. Maybe it was time to head out and eat.

She smiled sheepishly as she trudged her way back to shore, the strong waves also helping her with a little push from behind. "Sure, I'm starving! I bet the rest are hungry too," she exclaimed, her foot nearly tripping over an unusually large conch shell. She puffed, her damp hair strands flying away in response, then bent over the shell, carefully examining the details. She soon decided it was a beautiful item and snagged it with a _woosh!_ of her hand. Trying to continue her statement, she breathed, "I'll go change out in the bathroom stall."

Naruto nodded and began to gather the rest with a loud chirp of his voice. "Hey, guys! We're going to head out to eat! Hurry up and change, otherwise, Sakura and I will ditch yo-" The loud calls soon faded away as she stumbled into the woman's bathroom. She shook her head disgracefully as she thought about how clumsy she has gotten since she began undergoing tutoring circumstances with Tsunade-sama. _Maybe she passed her lazy-ass personality to me through teaching,_ she pondered as she let her bikini top drop to the shower floor. _The showers here in the bathroom aren't not too fancy-looking, but the good thing is that it was clean and decent enough to be in. Boy, I'm just glad that there are curtains. Phew._

She thought of the many disgusting things that could have happened if there weren't any privacy barriers in the bathroom as she washed all of the muck and left over seaweed from the swim. Eventually, her thoughts held to a halt, for she finally finished cleaning herself up. She sighed in relief and grabbed her towel from the metallic hanger that the wall held and dried herself up, then swiped her clothes off of the metal hanging bar from above and slowly dressed, taking precaution to her wet surroundings. When she finished, she stepped out of the uncomfortable washroom, slipped her sandals on, and began to stride to a blob of teenagers, which of course was a blob of her friends, while combing her hair with a white brush to untangle all of the knots.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! Where do you want to eat?" Naruto yelled, his hands waving furiously in the air. Soon, his wild movement began to ruffle and wrinkle his gray shirt, making him look extremely goofy, but quickly fixed himself up after realizing what he has done.

When she finally reached them, he grinned joyously and repeated, "So where do you want to eat?"

* * *

She stumbled into her apartment, exhausted but happy. She had an exciting day of being in the presence of her friends, having an extreme amount of fun at the beach and eating at Ichiraku Ramen, drinking a few shots of sake every now and then. It was a great time indeed, but the only flaw in their little hangout was when Neji and Lee had to have a contest to see who can chug down more sake. It was a stupid idea, and they both knew that, but Lee was furious after Neji told him off. And of course, Rock Lee won in the end, but both passed out on the bar, leaving the rest to drag them back home, which explains the unusual loss of fatigue.

She let her head drop back to the pillows of her couch, her neck flexing in unison. She sighed in relief as she felt the tension in her body melt away as she shifted her body every few seconds. She never remembered how her muscles got so tense. Maybe it was just a reaction from swimming with a big amount of force or when Kiba had chased her down like a deer.

Her pink hair fell to her shoulders repeatedly as she playfully pushed it around with her index finger. There wasn't much to do in her humble abode but to watch TV, read, work, or cook. The fun usually only comes around when people visit her, but that barely happens either, unless she throws a party or gathering of some sort. Actually, the more you think about it, no one ever comes by but Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, or...Kakashi.

_Speaking of Kakashi, I haven't seen him for a while. Not after since I gave him a hug,_ she thought, her fingers throwing a chocolate-covered gum drop in her mouth. _Maybe that was too much. Maybe I shouldn't have let my emotions get a hold of me. _

She muttered to herself unconvincingly as she swallowed another piece of candy, worrying about his whereabouts.

_Damn it all, I should have just stuck to the 'Forgiving Speech'. I am such a dope._

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A small breeze blew past a pile of lush green leaves, creating a mini-like hurricane of thin twigs and dead shrub leftovers. The sky soon draped itself with a sheet of pure darkness, sending twinkling shooting stars flying across the circular, pale ball of cheese, also referred to as the moon. A wave of gloomy, gray clouds swooped in, helping itself to all of what once used to be white, puffy cotton balls. The night was beginning a weary start.

Small, child-like shuffles echoed in the streets of Konoha, frightening the nearby night-crawling animals. Eventually, the tapping sounds of a foot lead all the way to a silver-haired man, who was striding down a sidewalk, his head hanging low to the ground.

He was terribly frustrated about his seeming-so difficult life. First of all, the images of his family continuously haunts him day and night, but never shows up when friends were around, which ticked him off even more. He wished that nothing would haunt him no more throughout his whole life, but no, that wish could never be granted. Secondly, flashbacks of his past childhood began to poke and prod his brain, forcing him to think back to those happy or bad moments. Obito. Rin. Minato. Father and Mother. But whenever he thought of them, he always refers them to his present friends, especially Sakura, for she was similar to most of them.

And thinking about her always leads back to her recent doings with him, but mostly pushes him back to_ that _hug. He never thought that they would exchange a polite gift, but it seems as if whatever you give shoots back at you.

But something about that small embrace bugged him. It gave him happiness but _also_ fear. What kind of people hug each other? Most likely,_ couples._ Yes, friends do hug every now and then, but something pinched him right there when her body made contact with his. A_ spark_. A_ pull_ of her heart. He thought it was impossible, but so far, it's turning out to be a fact.

Their bond is still a bond, but soon it will change, for he thinks that he too, developed feelings for her. Not _any _ordinary emotion, such as joy, excitement, or friendship, but_ love._ And he can't deny it anymore. He has always been there, by her side, since the moment he saw her. He always checked on her when their time at the university was done, he always offered her rides to school (and the odd thing was that he gets disappointed if she rejects him), he always helped her when help was necessary...He was always by her side, and that fact can explain his newly made feelings for her.

It was a nightmare that cannot be denied.

It was a fact that cannot be denied.

He paused at a curb that lead to the apartment building he lived in, unsure if he should return to the comfort of his home. He doesn't want to end up bumping into her, for it would be a bad time to do so, but he does want to see her again. Loving someone is a great thing, and he knew that, but loving someone that is much younger is scary. _Okay, she is legal, but what would others think?_ he pondered, his face slapping into the palm of his hands. _Should I even be thinking this over? I probably shouldn't._

He slid his fingers through his silver-coated hair, untying the knots and twists that were created by the slight wind. He then realized how filthy he was. He looked decent enough to take a walk outside, but just from how his hair felt, he knew he was dirty. No one could see the muck and scum hiding in his skin, but still, he needed to rinse himself and drown all dirt away.

So then he went home, glad that there was no sign of pink in the hallway, his mind full of tasks to do.

_I can't believe I let her wind me away from reality. God, I should stop hanging out with her more often. It's starting to become a habit._

And his thoughts ended after he pulled his door shut, a loud _thud!_ resulting.

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**A/N: Okay, I tried to add some humor, but I guess there's more drama than that. Anyways, I know that they and the others could get out of character and such, and I'm sorry for that. I kinda got carried away with typing and...yeah. I just hope you enjoyed this chapter and the whole story itself.**

**Tell me anything else that you would like to get out of your chest. Suggestions, errors, anything really. Please try to make them as polite as possible, okay? Thanks. **

**-XxNarutoFanGurlxX  
**


	14. Kiss

A/N: Okay, this was supposed to be published on the day of Valentine's, but I had some technical difficulties after publishing the third chapter of Konoha's Grace, so yeah, I apologize for that, so I just hope this chapter makes it all up to you.

**I also re-edited this chapter because of how dreary and dramatizing it is so I tried to make it as happy and joyful as possible.**

Oh, make note that the characters now made it through a year of college with Kakashi Hatake. Read the short passage below so you can understand it. Thanks.

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It has been almost a year since she and him has been friends, and the day of tomorrow would complete that time period. The final day of the month.

She sighed uncomfortably and let her fingers trail along the railing. She was standing on a cemented bridge that was arched above a wide, clear stream. They just finished this bridge and she decided that she was going to take a look at the finished architecture. It wasn't too great of a construction, but the scenery was beautiful and breath-taking, which is what had intrigued her in the first place.

A small breeze blew past her, sending chills down her spine. It was beginning to get cold and the sky was slowly changing its color into a dark, black night sky. It was time to head home, but seeming so, she was unable to do so, for she knew she had an upcoming company.

Her side suddenly heated, a soft felt lightly brushing against it.

She knew it was him.

"Yo," he silently greeted. He released a small breath and let his head hang over the railing, his eyes following the swimming fish below.

She didn't feel like responding. He knew she didn't want to, but he can't blame her. They haven't indulged themselves in a deep conversation since a couple months back.

"Haven't seen you since two weeks ago," he continued.

Silence.

"When you accepted my apology."

More unbearable silence.

He can't take it, but he knows he has to be patient.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," she finally managed to say, her emerald eyes glistening in the dim light.

He crossed his arms on the flat platform and said, "For what?"

"Hugging you," she replied.

He grew quiet as she finished the last word of her statement. It was disturbing when she held him in her embrace, and maybe a bit odd, but it helped him understand that she actually forgave him for avoiding her. Yes, she still had a pinch of feelings left for him, and he knew that due to his little snooping back then, but the hug couldn't mean more than friendship. He hoped it didn't mean more than friendship.

She sighed in disappointment and turned her back toward him, then took a step away from his location. And then another, and then another. Eventually, she was walking back home without any hesitation, and minute by minute, she was getting farther and farther from him.

But something caught her by the arm, stopping her from walking any further.

Then she realized that he had caught up. She didn't know how or when he had decided to take off after her, but it didn't matter now. He was there, behind her, waiting for her to spin around and face him. That was all that mattered.

"Hey," he whispered. He urged her to face him with small pulls of her arm, and finally, she gave in and spun herself around, his hand still locked onto her wrist. "I know our friendship is going through some difficulties. Perhaps we don't even have a connection anymore."

He lifted his other hand to his silver hair and began to slide his fingers through it to untangle the knots and twists created by the slight wind. "We have had our ups and downs," he paused, knowing that it sounded weird, "but I still want to indulge myself in a great friendship."

"You have Genma, Naruto, Kurenai, and many more to help you with that," interrupted the pinkette.

Silence.

"But that's only a simple friendship. What you and I have is something more. A bond, I guess," he explained, his tone flat and unnerving.

"Doesn't everyone have a bond of some sort, Kakashi? You're wasting my time," she muttered. "Just get to the-"

"You love me."

She froze, her eyes growing wide from shock.

"I know you love me," he murmured, his grip tightening around her wrist.

Her face suddenly drained all of the color away, her skin becoming nothing but plain white. No one knew about her past emotions for him besides Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka, perhaps Naruto Uzumaki too, but him. She never suspected that he would catch onto her feelings, especially since he usually acted as if nothing was going on. How did he know?

"What?" she stuttered. "How...?"

"Listen, I was worried about you," he confessed. "I thought that you were in deep pain, but I didn't think your friends would let me in, and apparently I was right about that. So I eavesdropped a little and heard my name being called. I thought it was someone else but it was you. Then came your confession. And then came my shock."

He looked at her and realized that she was silently crying. He knew he had hurt her so much in many ways, but this was just the most horrible thing that he has done. He regretted it. He has been hiding the fact that he knew about her emotions from her for a long time.

"How could you?" she cried. "I trusted you and...you do this. You break me."

She shoved him away, his hand releasing from her arm, then began running, full speed, back to her apartment. She knew it. She should have known that she should have never trusted a stranger like him in the first place.

The pink-haired student arrived in the comfort of her home, tears still streaming out of her emerald eyes. She stumbled through the entrance and harshly shut it, not even bothering to lock the door. Her steps were wild with frustration and anger as her feet led her to the couch before her. Eventually, she found herself weeping on the sofa, her tears staining the pillows nestled against her head.

She loved him dearly as a friend and more. He was a great man and a helpful, intelligent teacher, not to mention his good looks. He had a great personality, despite his foul jokes and annoying impatience, and many trusted him. But she trusted him with all of her heart, only to get thrashed into the cold lonely world. He hurt her.

The pinkette closed her eyes and forced herself to hold her sorrow in. She has to be mature about this. No more crying like a little, whiny girl. She pushed the image and feelings for him all away, her mind only caging in her true friends and family. Then she slumbered into a deep sleep, her sadness haunting her dreams and thoughts.

.

.

.

.

Her eyes fluttered open as she awoke to the sound of rustling beside her. She drowsily observed her surroundings, her mind taking in every detail. She was still in her apartment, but oddly enough, it was still night time.

Her head nestled against of what was thought to be a pillow, but she quickly deciphered the item she was resting on. In fact, it wasn't even an item, but a broad shoulder bone. Oh, damn it. She didn't lock the door, and now here he was again, hoping for forgiveness...again.

"Sakura, I am really sorry," he whispered, "You probably hate me now. Perhaps you don't even want to talk to me, but I can't blame you. It's my fault and I'm sorry for being a bad person."

Silence.

"I know I broke your trust and I know you trusted me very much. You might not even forgive me ever again, but all I want is for you to hear my apology. I know you were absolutely fond of me, not only as a friend, but something more. I don't mind at all that you developed feelings for me. I really don't."

More silence.

He had to be patient and keep going. Just hope for the best.

"I don't know how to speak to you anymore. My tongue always gets tied, my voice always becomes shrilled with nerve, I am always avoiding eye contact. I just can't accept myself anymore when being around you," he mumbled.

"I just can't accept you either, Kakashi," she whispered, her jaw rubbing against his shoulder.

She sighed softly and sealed her eyelids shut, total darkness overcoming her vision. She gritted her teeth and bit her lip as if she was having trouble with something.

The finally, out came the words that she never thought she would say.

"But I am willing to give you another chance."

* * *

She was working accurately, her mind concentrated on only the paperwork before her. She gave the half-filled in paper a blank stare, unsure of how to answer the next part of the question. Exams. She nestled her chin into the diamond-shaped hole that her crossed arms made on the desk, her face looking directly at the silver-haired teacher in front, who was reading a brightly-colored book that read _Icha Icha_. She sighed confusingly and turned her attention back to her task, having nothing to do more with him. Her emerald eyes grew weary from looking at the difficult, short-answer question. She then tilted her head to the side and began scribbling down a long, decent answer. There. She was done.

She let her pencil fall to the desktop and watched her paper slide slightly to the right, due to the small breeze that her hands created. She quickly scanned through her answer sheet to make sure that every single question was filled in and answered, then when she finished checking her work, she smiled gratefully to herself as she stood up to pass the exam on to her mentor.

She slowly walked through the isle of desks, her footsteps making only the smallest sounds. When she reached her destination, she leaned over the desk and held her hand out, her fingers pulling the book away from his face. Inch by inch, he struggled to let his book free from grasp, but when his pink-haired pupil finally gave it a harsh, but small, shove of a hand, he let it fall to his desk, frightened from her sudden action.

He closed both eyes, then opened them, revealing his famous mismatched colors that the class and the rest of the university had recently gotten used to. His lips curved into the slightest frown, his fingers tapping in anticipation. He gave her that stern look as she gave him a cold, playful glare. Then, he shook his head and held his hand out, a two-paged exam soon falling into his palm. He examined the test, grinned, and settled it into a folder that rested on the corner of the table.

"I'm pretty sure you aced this exam, Miss Haruno," he remarked, "It's unusual for a student like you to be so concentrated on only one thing when today is a very special day." He blushed at his own comment, surprised that _that_ slipped out of his mouth.

She put her hand on her waist, one leg bending soon after so she can imitate a somewhat sexy-like wannabe. He enjoyed the sight, for it was true, she was a beautiful and intelligent woman, although it was odd to think of a student like that.

"Yeah, Happy Valentine's Day Mr. Hatake," she smirked, her back turning toward him.

And in a blink, she was back in her seat, her eyes glowing with ever so joy and happiness.

She released a low, silent breath and let her forehead hang over the table top. There was only twenty minutes of class, yet there were still many test-takers finishing their task in the classroom, which disappointed her greatly. She was hoping for everyone to be done, and that way, she could hang around her friends and talk about any party plans. Besides, it was Valentine's Day, but here she was, sitting in an all so crappy classroom, waiting for the rest to finish that stupid, hell-like exam. God, she hated it when she had to work like crap just to have a great day.

And after fifteen minutes of horrible, boring waiting, the last of them finally finished their test, the rest of the class laughing in relief. Yes, finally, they would get a chance to have fun for a mere five minutes. Five minutes of chatting joyously before school ends. Ha, it was great!

"Sakura, are you coming?"A blond-haired girl called to her, ushering her to walk over, so the pink-haired girl did so. When she arrived, her friend smiled sweetly and whispered into her ear, "So who's your valentine?" Oh that Ino Yamanaka, she was always a sneaky woman who just loved to be let in on secrets, especially gossip. She had to be careful around her.

"Mmm?" she hummed in response, her shoulders heaving into a shrug at the end of her rhythmic tone.

There was no way she was going to let her in on her secrets. She was dangerous and contagious. Her gossip would always act as an epidemic, a disease that would always roam around with ever so speed that in less than a day, all would die out. She was like a spell caster who forced the truth out of people's tongues. It was horrible, awkward, and mostly mean. Okay, yes, Ino is a nice girl, but when her ears turn on, that's when the danger comes in.

The blond-headed friend frowned disgracefully and shook her head violently. She then let her eyes grow to the point where it seemed like she was begging for an answer, and of course, she received none other than a lift of her shoulders. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips curved into a puzzled smirk, and her eyes grew dark as an abyss. And this told her that she gave up, but she was angry. She could tell that she really wanted to know, but there was no way in hell that she would give that secret away, for only one special person could be her valentine. Her love. Her fantasy. Her dream.

She trudged back to her desk, took her backpack in one hand, eventually swinging it onto her back, plopped back into the seat, then waited to be dismissed. She glanced at the clock; only thirty seconds left until she was home free. She then moved her eyes to the seated figures around her, who were too, waiting patiently to be let free from their cages. They were all like lions, hoping to be released into the wild from the command of their ringmaster, or supposedly, the teacher.

She let her eyes drift to the masculine figure in the very front of the room, who was also known as their mentor. Their college professor. He rose his head toward her and gave her a quick glimpse, his hands sheepishly ruffling his silver-coated hair in unison. He then rolled his eyes, let it close shut, and pointed toward the exit, signaling the start of their depart. The students roared in excitement as they rumbled out the door, many chatting here and there about their future plans with a soul mate or friend(s). But the pink-haired girl sluggishly strode past the once occupied desks, hesitating every now and then to move on.

When she neared the exit, she leaned her head back and looked at him again, only to find him wearily giving the invisible atmosphere a blank stare. He looked lonely, unwanted, as if someone threw him away. She could remember back to the time when he had accidentally poured some private information out, and she could arrange every single detail in order. His family, unknown or gone. His friends, alive and dead. The rest, unknown. Her eyes saddened at the sight of him doing absolutely nothing, his facial expression nothing but drear. It was a sorrowful, bitter moment.

She sighed at what she decided to do. Her hand quietly unzipped the smallest pocket of her backpack, her fingers pulling out a small, tear drop-shaped chocolate. She gazed at it with almost no interest. She didn't need it nor wanted it, and wasn't planning on giving it to anyone else. It wasn't warm either, which meant in was in a perfect gifting condition.

She stepped closer to her teacher, and when she was only a few feet away, he realized her still presence and looked up, his eyes as dark as the night sky. He rose to his feet, his face expressing nothing but a content expression. "Do you need to question me, Sakura? Or is it that you want me to drive you home again?" he asked, his voice hoarse and stern. He had no idea of what was going to happen next.

Sakura grinned hopefully, her eyebrows arching inward, which finished the final piece of her innocent look. She held her hands up. They were cupped and closed together, but when she revealed the item, all he did was stare unconvincingly. "What...is this?" he gulped, unsure if he should accept the gift or not. It was a sweet and thoughtful thing to do, but what exactly does this mean? Special emotions, perhaps? Feelings? He needed to know.

"It's a kiss," she breathed, her final step reaching the maximum distance between them. Her hair fell to her side as her head tilted to the left, her emerald eyes shining brightly.

He blankly glared at the wrapped chocolate in her hands, picked it up with one slick motion, held it close to his face, then his frown curved into a smile. "Sakura, this means a lot to me. Eh, thanks," he chuckled, popping the now exposed, dark brown candy into his mouth. He smiled, and she then knew that she brought something great into his life, but who knows what it could be. Probably friendship or a connection of some sort.

"Your welcome," she replied. She lifted her hands and propped them on her waist, her white skirt wrinkling in response. She was now in a waiting position, a patient position. He looked at her, expecting another gift or statement, but she just stood there, embarrassingly playing with her hair. The silver-haired man sighed and said, "Anything else you need to ask?"

Sakura's face reddened when she received an outgoing stare; his eyes full of joy, his lips curved into the biggest but doubtful grin. "Yeah, did I forget to mention I needed a ride?" she mumbled, her head quickly twisting to the right to avoid eye contact with her college professor.

He nodded and smirked, "Yeah, you did forget to let me in on that. So why don't I help you?" He strode toward the exit and let his arms swiftly do the upside-down letter C movement, motioning for her to leave the classroom first. Her eyebrows furrowed at his action, and her grateful smile grew into nothing but a frown. He was mocking her.

"Don't push it, Kakashi," she muttered, her brain taking command. Her pink, luscious hair bounced in the air as she walked out the door, the eyes of a man following her every step. Oh, she hated it when he had to tease people like that, especially when the suspect was her. It was like being taken to La La Land just to be humiliated by none other than Kakashi Hatake.

"Hn." And that was all he said before locking his classroom door with a slow yank.

So the two rode together, Kakashi acting as the driver and Sakura acting as the passenger. It was a silent ride back to the apartment building that they shared, although, they both enjoyed the peace. But it was all too quiet between them, and that was what frightened them. That fear pushed them back to the limit where people wished to have nothing said due to the amount off awkwardness.

Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop, surprising the pinkette. She glimpsed at the driver beside her, only to find him chuckling to himself. That jerk. How dare he scare her like that, not giving any signal that they were home! She hated that about him so much. "Jerk," she sighed, her hand pushing the car door open. And he heard her comment as he left his blue mustang, but that only caused much more amusement, for he thought it was always a good idea to tease her more than others. She was always a prissy, tempering person, but he liked that about her. It was always fun to push her buttons, but he knew he had to be cautious, for she was a feisty one.

The last of himself stepped out of the car and walked up to the curb, but she was already entering the apartment building, her steps loud and irritating. Sometimes, he wished she never had a bad temper control. Sometimes, he wished that she would for once forgive him for his 'I went to far' jokes and allow herself to be happy. Sometimes, he wished that she wasn't so rude and violent, which took place in the image of Tsunade-sama. Oh, that picture looked terrifying. It melted him down to the bone.

He sighed disgracefully, his fingers sifting through his silver-coated hair as he stepped into the lobby, soon greeting the front desk-man with a small wave of his hand. He strode toward the staircase and began his journey uphill, his footsteps soft and silent, that way, if she was still up there or nearby, she wouldn't hear a thing of his incoming presence. Surprise, surprise.

When he reached the third floor, he stood still in front of the narrow doorway, his mismatched eyes carefully observing a pink-haired woman who appeared angry, amused, and dumbfounded all at the same time. Sometimes, women could be hard to understand, or at least, that's what he thought.

He began to stride toward her as he realized the start of her entrance, his footsteps growing louder and louder as he sped his pace up. Soon enough, she looked up, only to find him nearing her location, then tried to slip in through the crack of the door, but failed as a hand blocked her from moving. Oh boy, she didn't want to put up with his teasing and/or good looks. His jokes were just too much to handle (she definitely hated them) and his casual appearance always made her heart flip, which caused too many inner predicaments. And the fact that he seemed so normal and boring made it all difficult to understand his personality.

"I got plans," she said rapidly, hoping to get herself out of this situation. And she did have plans, arranged by Ino and Kiba. She was to meet up with Naruto Uzumaki, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hanabi Hyuuga at Naruto's house, where they would drink, talk, and enjoy each other's company.

Sadly, it looked like she wasn't able to attend.

"Not anymore you don't," he stated, his hand tightening the grip on the door, "I know I teased you a little too much today and maybe embarrassed you."

"Oh, no you didn't," she growled sarcastically, "You just got on my nerves and that's all."

"Eh," he murmured. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his unoccupied hand, unsure if he should actually create an offer of an apology. But if he was going to make an offer, he had to make it interesting, for he knew she was never interested in anything boring and bland. "I'm sorry for joking around too much," he continued, but once again was interrupted by another bark of a voice.

"You should be," she spat, her hair flying across her shoulders as she flipped them away with one slick motion.

"So I want to make it up to you. How about I take you out for lunch at Ichiraku Ramen? We can go right now," he pressed on, his tone flat but quivering.

The pinkette seized her anger, due to the sudden offer her teacher made. She gazed at his face only to find him doubtfully staring back at her, a small drop of sweat trickling down his neck every once and a while. He was waiting for a punch or attack of some sort, but he didn't receive any, but only a small, squeaky reply from his pink-haired pupil.

"You...take me out for lunch?" she gulped, her fingers playfully tangling with each other. She didn't think this was going to be a good idea, but who knows, maybe it would be fun too.

"Well I did make you angry, hm?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"So that's why. I wanna make it up to you, but the real question is if you would let me." The silver-haired man shrugged lazily and let his side lean against the wall beside him. He watched her as she gazed out into space, her mind pondering deeply about her reply.

"I guess you can," she responded. "But no foolish jokes."

He smirked and turned his back on her, his hand creating those 'following' gestures. "Why should a grown man act foolish in front of strangers?" Then he strode to the flight of the stairs, leaving her baffled and dumbfounded, just like how she left him back in the parking lot.

Payback.

She skidded down the steps in hope to catch up to her English Language Arts professor, but he was nowhere to be found in the main lobby. His masculine form was outside, his body leaning against a rough-looking tree. She sighed noisily and stomped out of the apartment building, her purse bouncing up and down on every step she took.

And finally, she reached him and gave him a greeting smack on the arm. Of course, he said, "Ouch. It's not nice to hit an adult." But she would never listen to his lectures and would continue to do her hurtful actions. Then again, it seemed as if he never cared.

This was sort of like a cycle. Every once in a while, he would invite her to dinner or lunch, maybe even breakfast, then this would happen. They would have a little argument, push it aside, and continue to have a great time as friends. Sometimes, he would even take his jokes too far and then he would have to propose an offer to make everything better, which he definitely hated. She always had a mind for expensive stuff and his wallet was growing empty.

But then again, it seemed as if he never cared.

And then the cycle would go on and on and on, sometimes with a little more of Kakashi's or Sakura's friends.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I made it super long now, huh? My bad if it got too boring. Anyways, I just hope you liked this chapter better than the original one. Sorry for all of the disappointments.

Reviews/Feedback are apprecieated!

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX


	15. Sleeping

_Thud! _A pile of clothes pooled around his feet, but he stepped out of the circle and settled himself on the bed. She was there, lying before him, her pale and peach skin glistening with sweat. Her face was flushed and her eyes were glued onto him, she was adoring every single feature she saw. He enjoyed it. He smiled deviously and pressed his lips against her ear and whispered something very quietly, and eventually, the woman's face reddened. Then it began.

"Kakashi! Don't watch that!" A pink-haired girl stepped into a bedroom and clicked the TV off, her fingers furiously searching for the off/on button. She threw the remote across the room and watched it hit the ground with a loud _thump! _Soon enough, she was facing her silver-haired teacher, her face heated.

"You can't watch sexual shows when your student is around, pervert!" she grumbled as she took a seat beside him on the bed. She glanced at him again, only to find him smiling doubtfully. Pervert.

"You're lucky it didn't bring any pleasure to myself," he chuckled. This comment made her cheeks even more rosy, and he knew that would become the outcome.

"Wha-Ugh! That's not the point! Besides, I told you not to do anything foolish," she wailed, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

"We're not in public anymore and I completed the offer I proposed, so I don't see why you have to stay at my place for a little while," he stated. He shrugged and lifted himself to go to the bathroom, his hand pulling and locking the door shut.

The pinkette frowned and stood up herself, exited the bedroom, and allowed herself into the kitchen where she began to pour herself a cup of lemonade. Sometimes that man can push her to the point where she can't take it anymore, especially when he was doing something absolutely unnecessary. And when that happened, he always became a pain in the ass. But he did have a point. Why was she here anyways? She could have just went home which is merely a second away from his apartment. They are practically neighbors!

"You aren't going to pour me some?" He poked his head through the kitchen entrance, his lips curved into the most foolish grin that she has ever seen.

"Sorry, but no thanks," she muttered, her mouth taking a sip of the sweet oh sweet beverage. She settled the cold glass by the sink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then allowed herself to lean against the wall behind her.

"Sometimes I don't get you. You are a college professor, yet you act so dumb." The student smiled at her own comment when she finished her sentence. Well, it was true. The fact that he acts like a child when he's in a career as a teacher is hilarious and amusing.

"Hm," he hummed, his scarred eye closing shut. He strode around the counter, swiping his visitor's drink off the tabletop, and led himself to the girl who was watching him with a very close eye. Clever girl, but she doesn't know what was about to happen. Right?

The silver-haired teacher lifted the glass to his lips and drank her beverage, and after a few moments, he finished with a big sigh of relief. He placed the empty cup in the sink, ran the water a little, then left it there to clean later on. And of course, when he had turned around to face her again, she was wearing nothing but a puzzled frown.

"You don't care if I drank that?" she asked.

"Not unless you're sick," he replied coolly.

"What if I am?"

"Doesn't matter now, I guess."

She heaved a breath and walked past him and into the living room. Her feet swiftly led her to the comfortable-looking sofa where her bottom settled itself. Her hand took a pillow and both arms pressed it against her stomach, then her head hung low, her pink cherry blossomed-hair dangling beside her neck.

Suddenly, she felt her left side heat and grow warm, a small masculine scent soon creeping into her nostrils. Just as she predicted; he followed her. She felt his arm stretch out behind her, his hand nearly touching the opposite shoulder bone.

"Don't you have anything better to do? Like grade papers?" she whined, her eyes narrowed at the man beside her.

"Graded all of them at the university," he began, "What about you? Don't you have homework?"

"I finished all of my reports and homework at the university..." Her voice trailed off as she felt something squirm in her brain, the end of what felt to be a worm smacking against her skull. Oh how her stupidity got to her. And of course, his reply just had to be, "See? We're even." She knew everything that he would say, but somehow, she can never figure out what she was going to say. Words always slips out of her mouth without permission.

She sighed quietly and leaned her head back onto his arm unknowingly, surprising him greatly. Her pink, delicate hair was spread across his hands and forearm, her face expressionless and her eyes sealed shut. He looked at her like she was crazy, hoping that she was just thinking. And she was, but she was also drowsy, so she was thinking that sooner or later, she would fall asleep in the arms of him. So it was best to probably sit up straight and mentally slap herself, but she couldn't move. She felt captivated in his grasp, in his eyes. She couldn't move.

Her eyes fluttered open and glanced at him. He was looking straight at her, his mismatched eyes full of question. She ignored the fact that he was asking something her mentally and observed her surroundings. She was indeed in Kakashi Hatake's apartment which is surprisingly tidy and neat, but something was different. When her emerald pupils hit the window, she realized the change. It was night time. She rolled her eyes secretly, realizing that she had stayed longer than she had wanted.

The arm around her neck suddenly shifted, frightening the girl, but then she found herself in a tight situation. He wasn't staring at her like she was crazy anymore, but now he was slumbered in a deep sleep, his cheek nestled on top of her head. His eyes twitched every now and then, so she thought that he was a light sleeper, but that guess faded away after she tried nudging him a couple of times. It failed. So he's not a light sleeper, but a deep sleeper. Damn it all, she should have left earlier.

The pinkette gazed at the masculine draped around her, wondering why exactly he fell asleep now. Then something hit her on the brain. He was a college professor, for Pete's sake, and he has to correct every single paper and assignment there was to grade. Another thing that she was sure of was that he also had to attend teacher meetings every single day, which is unusually odd. Finally, him taking her out to lunch probably finished the last piece of exhaustion. So basically...it was her fault that he is sleeping on her.

The teenage girl tried slipping out of his wrapped arm with a little push, but immediately stopped, for she was aware that he might be awaken with this gesture. So she tried slithering out of that situation, like a snake. It was a funny way to think about it, but it encouraged her and helped her create less commotion. And finally, she was out of that tightly, cramped position and now standing, her feet leading her to the door.

She took a glimpse of him. He was still sleeping peacefully on the sofa, but his head was now leaned back like how hers had been. She grinned slightly. It was funny to think about it; how someone would fall asleep while another was visiting. He always seems so normal and boring, but really, he's as childish and intelligent as any other student. And now that she had thought about it, it wasn't so bad being in the arms of that silver-haired teacher. It was actually comforting and it felt good, although he is a professor and she shouldn't. It appeared to be wrong in the eyes of elders (Her friends wouldn't give a crap about that stuff). She grinned again, then turned her back on him and faced the door. Her exit. She was on her way...

"Urgh-oh, Sakura?" Oh he had to wake up...She twisted her head back, half of her face visible in the eyes of the man before her. There he was, drowsily arising from a seeming-so good dream. So maybe he wasn't a deep sleeper. She has to make up her mind.

"You're going?" he yawned, a hand rising to his mouth.

"It's night time," she murmured.

"It's not school tomorrow," he pointed out, his shoulders heaving a lazy shrug.

"So you want me to stay here?" she teased, her eyebrows arching in an 'oh-so-innocent' look.

His eyes suddenly darkened, the red one especially. It was like it filled itself with even more blood and gore. But then again, it was all too attractive to resist. It was a mesmerizing sight.

"Uhh," he grumbled, his eyebrows furrowing inward. He threw his face onto the palm of his hands and let it rest their, his moist breath staining his cheek bones. Okay, maybe he deserved that.

She smirked and opened the door, then allowed herself to take a step further away from him. His eyes drifted to her as she slowly and hesitantly walked out of the entrance. He took the sight of her being hesitant into his mind and locked it in a cage. He wanted to keep every single type of image of her in his mind to remember her forevermore. Love was a hazy thing to understand, but this is what it does to him.

All of a sudden, she paused outside of the hallway. Her hair flung around her face as she turned her head back to face him. He looked at her, his eyes full of many questions. She said she was going to depart, but she's not making any movement. Was something wro-

"Did you know that you fell asleep_ on_ me, Kakashi?" she giggled, her eyes cringing in happiness. Then she sealed the door shut with a swift pull of her arm, her footsteps fading away in the atmosphere as she walked toward her apartment. And she knew he left him there on the couch, baffled and dumbfounded. But he always does that to her, so why not return the favor?

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as she left the comfort of his home. _He_? _He_ fell asleep on _her_? He shook his head in disappointment and hung his head, his hand rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish movement. The next thing you know, he was laid back against the sofa, his eyes closed tightly. Every now and then, his breath would hitch and change its pace. He didn't know why, but maybe it was from the shock of sleeping on her. And finally, he fell asleep with a small frown on his lips.

* * *

The sound of harsh tapping and a thunderous cackle immediately woke her up, scaring her to the point where she wanted to scream for help. She opened her mouth and released a low, drowsy sigh and propped herself up against the bed board. Another loud crackle filled the air, making her gasp in horror. She glanced at the window and saw that it was tainted with water and scratches. Stupid wind. She squinted her eyes at the scene, then realized that it was actually raining. Okay, now it was stupid wind and stupid rain. It was supposed to be a nice, sunny spring day, but no, it just had to be a stormy, cloudy day. Stupid forecasters. They were wrong.

A gust of wind struck the building, the atmosphere then howling in response. The girl pressed her lips into a pout and crossed her arms as yet another breeze hit her window. She was angry. She had plans at the park with Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Rock Lee, Hinata Hyuuga, and their science teacher Genma Shiranui. Genma assigned an outside project just for them to have fun outside. Technically, it wasn't a project, but the students liked the way how he put it. Unfortunately, it seemed as if nothing was going to happen today. The storm is seeming to get worse, and maybe so, no one can leave their apartment buildings/homes. Damn the rain.

Another lighting took a shot at it and tore the sky into pieces. Now she was scared. There was never anything like this. Nothing as bad as this occurred once in the land of Konoha, and perhaps, this is something new. Now she wanted to be beside her friends and family. But she knew that was impossible. Her parents were in Suna on a business trip and she had no one but Naruto in this building, and that yellow-haired boy was just a pain in the ass (although he is fun to hang around). No. She cannot act like a scared little girl. Never.

She shuddered again as she heard a mind-shaking noise ring in her ears. Curses! She was actually frightened! Damn it! The loud thumping echoed in her bedroom again, then finally, she realized that it wasn't thunder nor lighting, but someone was knocking at her door. Who could it be at such an early hour? Ha, Naruto, probably.

The pink-haired girl stomped toward the door, preparing herself to smack that boy on the arm for bothering her in the morning. But when she yanked that barrier wide open, she froze, for she had only revealed none other than Kakashi Hatake...in his pajamas.

But he was still appealing. He was wearing a black pair of sweat pants, he wasn't wearing any socks, and a thin, sleeveless tee covered his torso and back. He had a jacket hanging on top of his shoulder, and in his left hand, he held two gloves that had the spaces where the fingers were supposed to fit into cut off (a half glove, I guess). His face was pale, his eyes full of worry. A portion of his silver hair hung beside his scarred eye, the rest slicked back. He looked hungry, not for food, but for _that._ But of course, he wasn't needing any sexual care at the moment.

"It's pouring rain outside and hail is soon to come," he began, his voice breaking the once unbearable silence.

"I think I can see that there's a storm out, Kakashi," she mumbled, her hands drowsily rubbing her eyes.

Kakashi simply shrugged in response and continued to converse with her. "So I thought I would check on you. Maybe stay for an hour until this storm passes by," he explained. He paused, glanced at her, and found her face heated. "Did I do something?" he stuttered, his hand sheepishly rubbing his hair.

Oh yes, he did do something. She was scared half to death by the thunder and lightening, and now here he was, offering himself as company until the storm ends. He was really thoughtful, but it was really creepy. It was like he mentally read her mind. Creepy stalker. No, he's not that type of a person.

"No, and uh-sure, you can...come in," she murmured, her voice strangled with embarrassment. She stepped back and lead him to the living room after he closed the door. She allowed him to take a seat, then she plopped onto the sofa beside him, happily accepting the warmth his body offered her. He didn't seem to notice that she was cold...until she snuggled closer to him.

"Erhm, umm. Here," he said. He took her in with a wrap of his arm and pulled her in closer to his side, his hand forcing her head to rest underneath his chin. He breathed heavily as he felt her relax in his arms, his chest rising up and down. He looked down and saw her face tucked into his chest, her eyes closed tightly. Her lips were pressed together and her cheeks were pale, but a small hint of red was peaking out from a certain area.

"Hey, I hope I'm not causing any trouble," she whispered. Her hair slipped past her face and ruffled against his neck, the hair strands tickling his chest.

"You're not. Like I said, I'm here to help. Besides, I noticed how cold you were," he assured. He tightened his grip around her, his muscular arm nearly choking her. But she didn't seem to mind at all. It looked as if she enjoyed it. So he didn't care either.

"So why didn't you get a blanket or something?" she piped.

He stiffened and wiggled himself out of her grasp, leaving her disappointed on the other side of the couch. He had felt her devious grin widen on his torso, her lips all pressed against his shirt. It disturbed him. Why did he bring her into his arms anyways? She did have a point; he could have used a blanket or a bed sheet, but instead, he did that. Sometimes, he wondered why he does such things to her.

"Eh, body heat actually helps better than blankets," he muttered, his hand ruffling his silver hair.

"Oh, right," she sighed disappointingly. His statement was true. Body heat does help another cold person better than bed sheets. Damn him. She was supposed to make a fun joke out of it! Why did he have to be so smart?

But then again, she did enjoy the sudden comfort that he had brought her. His arm was muscular and well-toned and brought her warmth and relaxation. And with her being tucked under his head like that, it was a funny feeling but it felt good. Relaxing. Enjoyable. Sometimes, she wonders why she tries to ruin the most exciting moments.

And this was yet another thing that usually happened to them when they chose to hang out with each other. Not only jokes and teasing occurs, but also romantic moments occur. It was a pleasing sight to see two friends enjoying each other and have difficulties with their feelings. It was even more amusing when this happened if front of their own friends, such as it happened before Naruto Uzumaki, Might Guy, Ino Yamanaka, and Yamato. It was like it was always meant to happen.

And when it did, they would never care. It was always like that.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I added humor to this chapter and the previous one, but I only did it because the story was becoming dramatic. So I hoped you had a great laugh and enjoyed this chapter!

Reviews/Feedback are appreciated!

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX


	16. Can I Speak To You?

A/N: Hey you guys, I am really sorry for updating late, but I swear, it's not my fault! I still have school and stuff like that, and school is way more important than this! I have to keep my A's all A's and try to prevent bad grades, and for your information, I am not in high school yet!

Anyways, school is getting more difficult as I advance so I really have to study, so I'm sorry for not telling anyone about that. I just hope that this chapter makes it up to you all!

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX

* * *

"Sakura, can I speak to you now...?"

"...Did I do something wro—Why?"

"It's about something else, actually...and I _have_ to talk to you about that _something_."

* * *

She was doing it again.

He watched her from his home entrance as she hurriedly left her apartment to visit her yellow-haired friend. Her feet were practically skidding against the wooden-paneled ground as she did this, and she nearly tripped too, which almost gave him a heart attack.

Okay, maybe he was exaggerating a little bit, but he always disliked it when she got hurt.

_Squeak!_

He gave himself a mental slap and concentrated on the hallway again, only to find nothing but plain walls and floor boards.

She escaped like before, using quick wits and her so-called ignoring skills, and he could never catch her within grasp. And that hurt him.

He sighed drastically and forced himself to walk back into the comfort of his home. He wasn't to excited about this theory, and eventually assumed it was only something else. But now, he knows that his original guess was true, but it was a painful encounter.

She was doing it again.

She was avoiding him _again._

He seated himself onto his soft, long sofa and leaned back to relax his muscles. He then let his head fall back to the edge, his silver hair cushioning his fall.

He never thought he would be in such a tight situation. He never expected to become so stressed and tensed just because of her. That wonderful, cherry blossomed girl was avoiding him for some apparent reason, and he disliked it very much.

He doesn't even know how it came to an end like this. They were good friends from the start, and they still had their ups and downs, but they were still good friends after a long roller coaster ride. Nothing went wrong after that, besides all of those teasing and playful jokes they played on each other. But then the next thing he knew, she was growing farther and farther from him.

And finally, they had their distance.

He never wanted that distance to pop out of nowhere again.

He released a low, long breath and straightened himself. He gave his TV a long, boring stare. It was almost having a staring contest, only that his opponent was an inanimate object—Oh how the love stress got to him, he hated it.

So now here he was, sitting upon a soft sofa, thinking about the many reasons of why she is avoiding him at all cost.

That bugged him—how she was slipping away from his grasp—and it pained him. He already knew she was having a hard time trying to escape his presence, but he doesn't know why she was willing to do it anyways. She was like him back then, when he couldn't resist her.

Could it be possible that...she could be in the same situation he was in before?

Has her feelings aroused her mind once again?

_I should really stop thinking about her. Her image is just unhealthy for me at the moment...ugh._

xXx

She was practically breaking the button with her frantic pushes of her finger!

She sighed roughly and impatiently jammed her thumb up against the button that read _down_ again. She was waiting for the elevator which apparently seems broken—Oh _boohoo_, she has to get a hold of herself—so she can go to her friend's (Naruto Uzumaki) apartment, which was merely only a floor away.

She doesn't even know why she's waiting for an elevator when she could just run down the stairs.

But _he_ just had to be there in time to prevent her from striding to that staircase.

Okay, the truth was that she _was_ avoiding him, but it was for a very...good reason. She knows that it probably isn't good news toward him, but she was taking those actions for her own private reasons. And that _private_ reason happens to be that she grew attached to him _again._

It wasn't any ordinary attachment or connection, but she thinks that she has actually developed deep feelings for him, as of before when they had first met. Except that this time, this feeling was more _violent_.

Whenever she saw him, her stomach clenched and twisted, then her face would grow red. She would usually cover her blushes with her hands or would try to change to subject into something more hilarious to distract her, but that didn't really work after a couple of first tries.

Whenever she touched him, her heart bounced and nearly broke her ribcage! Even if it would only be a mere brush of his arm against hers! It was something terribly unusual, and it actually felt _good._ But she was afraid of that pleasure, absolutely afraid to let it show.

She actually enjoyed his company, even if he was in a groggy, unlovable mood. She would always be mesmerized by his mismatched eyes, and if not his eyes, then his good-looking face or body. Another thing was that she always enjoyed his humanity. He was so_ real _toward her, almost like an angel.

But she was afraid of this.

So this is exactly why she was avoiding him.

She gritted her teeth and pressed the button again, but this time, she broke it—You can't necessarily break a button, but she just did—It was jammed into the small hole where it was supposed to be pushed back into.

She gave the elevator shaft a cold, harsh glare and narrowed her eyes at the hallway to make sure that no one was watching her. Then after deciding that she was finally alone, she left the elevator and quickly scurried to the flight of stairs, hoping that no one would notice that it was broken.

_I just hope that no one suspects its me. After all, it was already broken...but I guess I did make it worse. Why am I so du-_

_Thud!_

She felt herself crash into something masculine-like, and then her mind filled itself with worry. She was hoping and hoping that it wasn't _him_, and finally, she was relieved after hearing a long, high-pitched yelp from the person she had bumped into.

"Ouch! Sakura-chan! That hurt!"

"Naruto, I didn't mean to. I was in a hurry."

"Well you should watch where you're going! You could have killed me," he boasted, his cat-like features extending in opposite directions.

"Wha-Ugh. Never mind," she muttered.

She looked up to meet his blue ocean eyes and smiled slightly.

His facial expression always made her day, especially when he was smiling like crazy. His happiness and joy somehow always crawled around her barriers. Then the next thing you know, her frown would be spun upside down.

"Anyways, why are you here? I thought I was going to meet up with you at your house," she asked confusingly, her tone soft and gentle.

The yellow-headed nitwit could easily point out that she was trying to hide something, but simply ignored it for the time being.

"You were taking too long, though," he complained.

"..." Silence. She didn't know how to respond to his complaint. Well, there was an answer to that-actually two: Avoidance and the broken elevator. She then decided that she would pick choice number two.

As the pinkette has predicted, Naruto asked, "Why?"

After a few moments of unbearable silence, he laughed hysterically, his chuckles almost sounding like a screeching gorilla. It was all worth it though, he wouldn't have helped much if he found out.

"Y-You broke the elevator? Is tha-at even poss-possible?" he asked in between breaths.

"...Yes."

xXx

_"Even though we were far apart, I love you dearly with all my heart."_

The class gave him an uncomfortable stare after listening to what he had said. It was an unusual quote and no one knew how to respond to such a predicament.

The silver-haired teacher sighed disastrously and huffed, "Does anyone have any idea to what this quote might mean?"

He eyed every single student he had in his classroom, then finally, his mismatched eyes fell onto the pink cherry-blossomed girl. He thought he had caught her by surprise when their gaze locked, but he assumed it was only a hallucination.

Then, he couldn't believe that he was actually going to say this.

He gulped and forced a small grin, "Sakura, do you want to take a shot at it?"

Her eyes widened in shock as she heard him say this. Her heart was practically bouncing off of her ribcage, and it was nearly tearing her apart.

_Why has he chosen me? Why? I don't know the answ-_

Her thoughts were interrupted after receiving a piercing glare from him. She immediately focused her gaze on him again, only to find him staring at her intently. Okay, now she was nervous. And he was _expecting_ for her to answer it, she _knows_ he wants her to.

_"Even though we were far apart, I love you dearly with all my heart,"_ she repeated unnervingly, her voice throaty.

She thought she heard a few gasps and snickers from her friends, but there's no stopping now.

"I think that this quote means that anyone could still love another even if they have a distance set between them," she answered truthfully.

She hoped it was a good enough answer. She wasn't really the type of student to go all-out when interpreting the meanings of phrases and quotes.

"Well done, Sakura."

She looked up, only to find him giving her his famous smile. It did look forceful, but no matter. It was a smile and that was all that mattered. She could feel her stomach fill with butterflies again, then small tingling waves began to coarse through her veins. It felt all too good to be true.

xXx

_Ring!_ The bell sounded off and indicated that their day of education was finally over.

All of the students filed out, some sluggishly packing their stuff up. And two of them happened to be Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura was simply gathering her things and neatly placing them in her handbag, and as of Sasuke, he was patiently waiting for her, for it was his turn to drive her home. She knew he never enjoyed bringing people home, but she also knew that he enjoyed her company. So it all worked out between the two. It was a good thing that he didn't like her as much, though. She never really did like him, except for those times when she was an ignorant fifth grader.

Something prodded at her on the shoulder and frightened her. She assumed it was that raven-haired boy, but when she looked over her shoulder, she saw none other than Kakashi Hatake peering at her with those mismatched eyes of his. And Sasuke was watching the two in amusement, his lips curved into the slightest, devious grin.

_That raven-headed bastard_, she thought angrily as she focused her gaze on the teenage boy in the back.

"Hey," greeted the silver-haired man, his facial expression full of blank nothingness.

She belatedly replied,"Uh-hey."

She watched him stare into space for a moment or two, then turned back to packing her things. But she was interrupted again, only that this time, he placed his whole hand on her shoulder. And his fingers were _actually _grazing on her skin. It tickled.

"Sakura, can I speak to you now...?"

She spun around, her arm nearly nudging her bag of the tabletop.

"Alone?" he slowly continued, his eyes narrowing toward Sasuke.

She watched her friend walk out of the room hesitantly, his footsteps small and skittering. She didn't want him to go and leave them alone, not now, not when she thinks she loves him again.

"...Did I do something wro—Why?" questioned the pinkette.

"It's about something else, actually...and I _have_ to talk to you about that _something_."

* * *

A/N: So-um, how did it go? Good, great, bad, horrible, ugly...oh sorry. Anyways, it's your opinion and I DO want to hear your opinion, so please send feedback based on it or something like that. I want to know if my story is decent enough so yeah!

Before you ask me any questions, I would like to answer the most possible ones that you could have in mind.

1. This quote:_ "Even though we were far apart, I love you dearly with all my heart." _is not something I made up.

I found it on a website and it said it was submitted by Anonymous, so I guess I'll give credit to whoever that person was.

You can find a bunch of love quotes on .com and try to find all of those quotes you would want to find. When you reach the website, click on the links that suggest those romantic titles, or you can choose those heart-breaking quotes, if you'd like.

2. Why do you put those sound effect thingies like: squeak! or ding! ?

Well, I type those down because I have a feeling that something like that would sort of describe how one movement or action would sound like. I try to make the readers senses stand out when they read the story. Visual, hearing, smelling, etc.

Happy or content enough? Well, okay then!

Feedback/Reviews are appreciated greatly!

Sorry for the terribly long wait. I had school and all of that stuff, so I really apologize!

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX


	17. I Love You

_Inside the heart of each and every one of us there is a longing to be understood by someone who really cares. _

_When a person is understood,_

_ he or she can put up with almost anything in the world._

_(Submitted by Ed Hird)_

_

* * *

_"You're not joking...aren't you?"

"No."

"...Prove it."

* * *

She stood there, one wrist cuffed by another hand, her own dangling beside her waist. Her legs were positioned for a walking motion, one an inch further than the other, but she wasn't moving at all. She was trapped and secure in the grasp of him, and there was no other option that she could take to escape.

She didn't want to talk to him, not when her heart is aching to cling onto his. Not when she is desperate to claim him as hers. Skillfully, she would always run away from him (precisely avoid him) and leave him in exaggerated confusion. Everyday, she would repeat the cycle, only to cause them to part even further away from each other. Her heart was breaking down, but for some apparent reason, she was unable to love him truthfully without any hesitation.

In her own perspective, everything was slurred and blurry, meaning that she doesn't know which path to take.

She doesn't know if it is alright to love him. She honestly doesn't know.

"Please, I am not in the mood to talk to you at the moment," she murmured silently, her emerald orbs locking itself with his mismatched ones.

"This will only take a couple of minutes, Sakura." He looked at her with sorrowful eyes, his face expressionless. He looked neither happy nor angry, but looked exactly like a blank piece of paper. There were no sign of deep emotions whatsoever. "I absolutely _need_ to talk to you, so if you would give me that time, you would understand completely," he continued solemnly.

She bit her bottom lip as he gave her a pleading look to explain his reasons. And well, she had to accept. She could never reject him and that mesmerizing gaze of his. He was all too kind and caring to reject, even if at some times when he'd be a pain in the ass. Another final, straight-forward reasoning: she loved him. She adored him, admired him, respected him. So the point was that she could never deny him.

"Try to make it quick," she whispered gently, her emerald eyes falling to the floor.

He simply nodded in response and seeming so, he began to ponder deeply about perhaps how he should arrange his words. His black and red eyes held confusion and puzzlement, which were practically the only things that actually expose his emotions.

Then again, she was the only one who could actually read him like a mastermind.

A sigh slipped out of her mouth as she let her gaze fall onto his face again.

He looked so sincere and serene as he thought.

His eyes were closed and shut, his lips were sealed and pressed together. He seemed pale, but not as pale as before, for there was a hint of red arising on his cheeks. His silver hair was slicked over his forehead, strands falling into ruffled pieces over his eyebrows. Finally, he held this strong masculine scent that smelled pleasing and awkward at the same time.

Suddenly, his lips moved and then she knew what he said, although the sound of his voice was unusually oblivious to her ears. She knew she wasn't going deaf, so what exactly could it be? Did he only mouth his words in fear of actually saying it out loud? Well, she knew and even saw what he had mouthed or 'said', but she didn't want to believe it.

It was just simple and plain. It was unbelievable.

She could feel her eyes widen as he gave her an expecting glare. She thought she let her mouth drop open, but maybe it was just something else. The only thing that she knew was that she was surprised-no-shocked about what she had just deciphered.

And then he finally said it, but it really didn't lighten up the mood as she thought it would.

"Sakura—" He paused to suck in a small, short breath in hope of calming himself down then continued, "I love you."

He watched her eyes widen even more to the point where it actually seemed like they were going to pop out of her sockets. He saw the small blush lines creep up to her cheek bones. He heard her small, silent gasp as her lips slightly parted. He observed her as her natural color drained away into nothing but dull white.

He knew she was surprised and was probably afraid to accept the fact, but guess what? He was shocked with himself too. He thought that he didn't really develop feelings for her as their friendship grew, but every day, every minute, it looked as if he was turning out to be wrong. And he was incorrect, for he does actually love her. More than a friend. More than an acquaintance.

To him, she was like an angel sent from heaven.

To him, he thought that he would never reach this point in his miserable life.

She is what all what he has.

"You're not joking...aren't you?" she gulped, her emerald orbs shakily drifting to her wrist.

She was still eased into his grasp, for his hand was firmly gripping onto hers, preventing her from going anywhere. It seemed as if he did know that she was going to run. She did want to run away. Far away from him. She never felt like talking to him in the first place anyways...

"No." He finished his response with a small, lazy shrug. He let himself lean back into the desk, enough that his spine would be arched against it. His legs shifted its position so that it would be spread out in front of him at an angle, his knees locked tightly.

He didn't know that he was still holding onto her, not until he actually took a good look at her. He sluggishly loosened his grip on her wrist, and finally, her hand was free to move anywhere it wished to move to. Then he expected the moment where she would stride out of his classroom to leave him alone yet again, but she didn't. She stayed put, her gaze locked with his own.

He knew what was coming next, for she wasn't the only one who could easily read people. Truthfully, he could only read her mind as well as any other people would. He doesn't know why it could only be her, but it just is.

"...Prove it."

She shuddered as she felt the atmosphere change into something more awkward-like and disturbing.

She ignored it for the time being.

"Prove it," she repeated quietly, her voice full of hesitation.

He was absolutely still now. He wasn't really doing much action besides breathing and blinking. She was guessing that he was probably hit with shock just by taking a good look at his face. His eyes weren't too wide, but it was wide enough to tell her what he was feeling at the moment. His face sort of grew paler than a couple of moments, and for a second, she thought that he nearly dropped his jaw.

But he seemed to have full control of what to do and what not to do. And well, he is a college professor, so it wasn't really something unexpected. After all, he was a mature adult who_ sometimes_ acts like an ignorant child. It was normal.

She suddenly realized that a large, masculine shadow was looming over her at this very moment, so she looked up, only to find that silver-haired man nearing her.

It was almost like a horror movie. He was holding this scary-like glare that frightened her, but it was also attractive in some way that made her shudder with pleasure.

She honestly didn't know what he was doing to prove that he loved her, but she had an idea.

His hand slowly but gently cupped her cheek in one hand as the other silently crept onto her right one. Inch by inch, he leaned in closer, his eyes growing with unbearable temptation. With his mismatched eyes, he was giving a message that said, 'I'm not going to hurt you.' and she received it, although she still wasn't as calm.

She could feel his fingers massaging her wrist as he finally closed the gap they had between each other. His face was pressed against hers, his lips tickling her own. He wasn't necessarily kissing her _yet_, but his lips were lightly pressed against hers. And while he was-lets say-warming up, she was frozen in a mix of emotions that she couldn't describe. She knows she's confused, but...

He was kissing her now.

He was _passionately _kissing her now without force or hunger.

And you know what? She was enjoying it, but she didn't know why.

She was simply confused and puzzled.

She could feel his heart pound faster and faster as his chest slightly rubbed against her. His grip on her hand was growing tighter, but his fingers on her cheek were softly caressing her skin. She could tell that they were both breathing faster, and that their breaths were hitched.

They weren't kissing sexually (and I mean they weren't sharing tongues), but they could feel the rush of pleasure run throughout their veins. It was almost like a fantasy, except that it's a real fantasy (if you could put it like that).

He backed away from her, only a couple of feet away to reset their distance, leaving her flushed and mesmerized. He gazed at her with gentle mismatched orbs, his right one deepening its own blood-filled color.

He was satisfied with his final reason of to why he loved her.

"I proved my point, Sakura."

"I know."

"...Do you-"

"Yeah...I love you too."

xXx

She couldn't believe her closest friends already found out about that incident! It has only been two days since that event, and they all knew every single detail about it!

And there was only one person to blame, for there was only _one_ person who witnessed it.

That damned Sasuke Uchiha.

"Hey, hey. Just be glad that I didn't tell the whole school," he muttered.

That just got him a smack across his arm, which left a very red mark in its place.

"You're just lucky I didn't kill you!" growled Sakura. "And if you do tell everyone, I will-"

"Woah, woah. Slow down, I didn't catch all of that." Sasuke shrugged confusingly after finishing his sentence and murmured a small "Ouch" after receiving yet another slap from his friend. He should really stop teasing her like that, otherwise he'd end up in the hospital.

"Listen, Uchiha. You better keep a secret or you'll find yourself in he—"

"Ah, ah. Hold your horses kiddos." Their silver-haired teacher walked right in between the two as they immediately went back to writing their papers. "I already had enough of listening to Naruto and Shikamaru trying to get all of the details out of me, so if you would keep quiet, that would really make my day," he sighed, his hand scratching the back of his head.

Sasuke merely gave him a glance of annoyance and stated, "Well you're the one who made out with her."

* * *

A/N: I concentrated this whole chapter on only one event, the 'romantic' one. So if you appreciated that, thanks. If you didn't, please post feedback and tell me how I can make this a little better.

Thanks to all who read or leave reviews about my stories.

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX


	18. I Promise

A/N: I am so sorry for the big wait on this chapter, but I had Track Practices, Exams and Quizzes and Tests, Homework, Tutoring (OMG I hate that!), and last but not least, Star Testing. Again, I am terribly sorry for updating this story late and I wish I could make it up to you all. During the weekend, I hope to update more often. Sorry for the wait. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!

* * *

"...What are you doing?"

"What do you think?"

"Seducing? Harassing? Hm, I'm not really sure."

"...I am not doing any of that."

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

* * *

Sakura playfully punched her long-time friend, Shikamaru Nara, who then stumbled out of the classroom and landed on his knees. She simply laughed with pleasure as he simply groaned in annoyance and pain.

"That was not a nudge. It was more of a punch from superman," Shikamaru mumbled as he took Sakura's hand.

She pulled him up and released as soon as he got to his feet, causing him yet again to loose his balance.

"Come on, you're a _guy_. I thought you're supposed to be tough Shikamaru!" Sakura wailed insincerely.

"What do you do? Karate?"

"I hate karate."

"...Troublesome women," muttered the student as he trudged on without her.

The pinkette pouted and shouted, "Can you at least wait for me?"

Shikamaru paused in the middle of the hallway and looked back with a blank expression. You couldn't expect less from the Nara kid. He was always a lazy-ass student but ended up being_ super_ smart like a wizard.

Sakura started to run after him until she felt two strong hands pull her back. She immediately bumped into of what seemed to be a well-toned chest and tilted her head back, only to find Kakashi Hatake, her lover, grinning mischievously at her. That bastard...

"Fancy meeting _you_ here, kiddo," Kakashi stated coolly.

"Wha-Ugh! You're the one who pulled me back!" she stammered.

Sakura noticed that he was still holding onto her wrists and blushed, quickly tossing her head in the other direction to hide her embarrassment or of what others would call 'a sign of _interest_'. "Anyways, what do you want? I'm heading to the mall with Shikamaru and Tenten," she whispered quietly.

"Hey, I'm not gonna wait here _all_ day. It's a_ drag_ standing here," Shikamaru complained from across the hall.

"Wait!"

"You have five minutes pinky."

Sakura managed to hit him with her notebook that she once held in her hands and saw his shocked, frightened expression. She giggled repeatedly in the arms of her professor, her movement tickling his chest and arms.

The black-haired boy shrugged dully after relentlessly rubbing the back of his aching head. "I'll keep it warm for you."

She shook her head and wiggled herself out of Kakashi's grasp, no longer feeling uncomfortable. She took a few steps back and looked at him straight in the eyes, her emerald orbs nearly piercing his black and red ones.

"Okay, how long do you think you'll be at the mall with your friends?" Kakashi asked sternly.

The pink-haired student lifted her shoulders and dropped them confusingly, her lips curving into the slightest frown. "I don't know. Maybe 'til four."

"Oh," he murmured. "Well can you leave at three?"

"Why?"

"...Well I heard that you are really good with medical stuff."

"Yeah, my mom was once a nurse and Tsunade decided she would teach me some stuff about being a doctor."

"..." Silence.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Well I have this long wound on my back and-"

"What? How did you get it!" Sakura squeaked worriedly.

"Genma pulled me around some stupid bar and a drunk man threw a bottle at me," Kakashi confessed gravely.

Sakura smirked and pointed at him. "So why didn't you go to the hospital?"

"It smells like medicine and everything is the color white. I hate it."

"So? Your hair is white too," continued the pinkette, her fingers intertwining with her hair.

Kakashi watched her as she played with her pink, curly locks, his mismatched eyes following the strands as the flew across her face. He smiled sadly and gently patted her on the arm, his thumbs rubbing circles onto her skin. "...It's silver hair, Sakura. Not white. I can tell if I'm aged."

"I'm kidding! So how old are you?"

"Twenty nine."

"Awesome!" Sakura squealed happily. "You're not an oldy after all!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Can you just meet me at my place before three thirty?" asked the silver-haired man, his voice pleading and hurt.

Oh...you can _easily_ tell he was trying to fake the innocence. But for some apparent reason, she just couldn't say no. Maybe due to the fact that she loved him with all of her heart.

"Fine," Sakura responded.

She strode in Shikamaru's direction and he watched her as her legs moved back and forth, her ass moving in rhythm (Did I forget to mention that she was wearing shorts? Oh, my bad!). His gaze was glued on her as she left the building with him and Tenten - His gaze glued _only_ on her. Why, you ask? Because he loved her too. He loved her with _all_ his heart.

III

"Wow Shikamaru, I can't believe you actually argued with some sixteen-year old," Sakura giggled as she took her first step outside of the Mall.

They had just finished shopping for glorious items in the Stoneridge Mall and they all couldn't wait to try what they had bought. Shikamaru bought the new 3D DSi and a game to go along with it; Pokemon White. Oddly enough, it was the last game in stock and he started arguing with a sixteen-year old named Suigetsu. Tenten managed to stop the two and for some reason, she gave that white-haired boy her number. Anyways, Tenten bought some clothes from Abercombie and Hollister and Sakura bought a lot of new stuff. She now has Black Ops (which she enjoys a lot for some apparent reason; she guessed she wasn't a type of girl who disliked gun games) and a bunch of clothes from Aeropostal, Hollister, Abercombie and Fitch, and Seal.

Damn, they couldn't_ believe_ how much they shopped for.

"Well I had to. I needed that game _more_ than that bastard did," Shikamaru yawned loudly, his hand gripping tightly onto his GameStop bag. "And Tenten, I thought you were dating Neji."

"Hmpf! Who said I was going to ask him out?" Tenten smirked deviously and chewed on her gum. "I mean - Prank calling is _way_ better, hm?"

The three of them exchanged laughs and chuckles for three minutes as they walked, a few pointing out the most stupidest things lying on the street. Sakura happened to find a perverted picture lying in the grass and realized that Shikamaru was staring at it with reddened cheeks. Then Tenten smacked him across the forehead and they continued to walk peacefully, Shikamaru relentlessly rubbing his head in pain.

Sakura suddenly stopped, causing her two close friends to look back over their shoulders. "Hey, why did you stop? I thought you're coming over to Sasuke's house for his party," the two of them called.

"Nah, I have to see Kakashi. He said he needed me for something important."

"Well tell me how your date goes with our teacher," Tenten laughed.

The pinkette stomped her foot firmly into the ground and muttered, "It's_ not_ a date! I'm just helping him."

The black-haired boy shrugged dully and turned his back on her. He quietly mumbled, "Sure you are."

She could easily feel the sarcasm in his voice and growled fiercely, "Say anything more and you'll find your head buried in the ground."

III

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

_Ba-rump! _

_Creek!_

"...Oh Sakura, finally decided to show up, huh?" Kakashi leaned his back against the doorway and smiled slightly, water trickling down his cheek.

She looked at him with incredulous widened eyes, her eyebrows arched inward and her cheeks rosy red.

He was bare-chested and not clothed, except for the fact that there was a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was soaking wet and was slicked over his forehead, a portion covering his red-colored eye. His body was covered with muscles; on his arm, chest, stomach ... and not to forget that he was draped with _moisture_. Okay ... he just took a shower, but that fact just made it even worse. He looked absolutely hot! It's not something bad (after all, they were dating), but still ... My God, she could not believe it. He was like a whole new person with him half-naked like _that_.

She suddenly felt something warm tingling in between her legs and realized that she was turned on. She couldn't believe it! She - She was turned on? How ... awkward! Just from taking one look at him, she was beginning to feel wet. Dear God, no ...

She had to say something. Something to prevent him from noticing that she was aroused. Something ... Something reasonable.

"...What are you doing?" Sakura coughed silently, her eyes dragging across the floor.

Kakashi seemed surprise by her question and shrugged dully as of what Shikamaru Nara would do. He placed a hand in front of him as if he was asking for something and frowned.

"What do you think?" he slowly said, confused and uncomfortable at the same time.

Sakura felt this sudden need to shout out her answers or of what you would call 'guesses'. Geez, she had a bunch to say ...

"Seducing? Harassing? Hm, I'm not really sure." Sakura blurted, her hand quickly covering her mouth.

Kakashi came closer with one step and sighed confusingly. "...I am not doing any of that."

"Then what the hell are you doing?" she questioned, her voice full of breaths and gasps.

The silver-headed man grinned for a moment and planted his hand on the open door. He pushed his silver hair away from his forehead and continued to smile recklessly. "Well Sakura, I am supposedly waiting for you to enter so I could at least grab a pair of pants and change."

Sakura quickly brushed pass him, her arm bumping into his hard-rock stomach. He smiled foolishly and followed her after closing the door behind him. He gazed at her as she embarrassingly took a seat on his couch that lay in front of his wide-screen TV.

Kakashi walked toward his bedroom, his hands propped up behind his head, his elbows pointed outward and his face holding of somewhat an amused expression. "Oh, and-" He paused to suck in a small breath "-when did you learn to curse?" And during that moment, he locked himself in his bedroom to slip on a pair of his favorite sweatpants.

And he knew he left her embarrassed.

He could feel the awkwardness in the atmosphere. Besides that, it was pretty obvious when you took a look of her face.

He shook his thoughts out of his head and let his arms drop to his waist after fixing up his sweatpants. He looked down and observed its ruffled, dark features. It looked the same as usual; no stains, no odd rip or anything. His hand threw the towel aside and he strode out of the room, still bare-chested as of from before when he answered the door.

Sakura's eyes were on him like a hawk, her emerald color deepening. He realized that she wasn't only looking at his figure himself, but the long open wound that trailed from his neck to the waist line. Her eyes were wide now and he could tell that she was now worried.

Kakashi was about to take a seat beside her until she immediately stopped him with a jerk of her hand. "Hey, can you sit in between my legs..." Her voice trailed off as her hands began digging in her purse ... He obeyed her without hesitation and sat on the floor, his back pressed against her thighs. She felt cold ... "Okay, this will hurt just a little, Kakashi."

He winced in pain as he felt something electrifying surge throughout his nerves. He realized it was one of those alcohol cleaning wipes to prevent infections. He knows the feeling, for he has been in the hospital way too many times in the past ... Oh how he hates this feeling ... Her hands gently pressed against his spine, something soft tickling his back.

"What are you putting on my back?" Kakashi asked softly, his voice hitched. He winced yet again as he felt another jolt of pain shoot through his heart. God dammit, it hurt.

"Band-aid strip. I'm going to have to wrap your stomach in bandages too, just for safety," Sakura answered firmly, her hand pressing the last of the band-aid onto his cut. She gave it a small tap and lightly kissed the back of his neck to soothe his pain.

"Well you came prepared," he muttered quietly as he rose his arms above his waist.

Her lips curved into a smile and she whispered, "You told me to come prepared, since you have this injury."

Sakura began to wrap the long strip of bandages around his chest and stomach, some too tight and some too loose. She said it was to even out the pain or something like that, but he didn't really believe her. He guessed it was some sort of laziness that took over her or clumsy working. Clumsiness is more reasonable though. She seemed to jolly to be lazy.

He felt this sudden tug at the back of his waist and felt something tighten. He squinted his eyes for a moment and looked over his shoulder to find a knot on his back ... So does this mean she has finished?

"Alright, I'm all done Kakashi."

Yeah ... He should have expected that this knot meant the finish of her kind actions.

The pink-haired girl rose to her feet along with her love companion, her hand clasped together with his. She squeezed her grip on him for a second and laughed silently, then tilted her head onto his steel-like shoulder. A small giggle escaped her lips and she felt his body shift uncomfortably.

"You know, you have to be more careful. Life isn't some merry-go-round." Sakura sighed and rubbed her eyes with her unoccupied hand. "I saw all of the scars on your body. You've been hurt ... or abused ... pained a lot. I don't want you to see you in utter despite."

Kakashi narrowed his mismatched orbs toward her, only to find a clear tear slip out of her right eye. She was crying ... because she was worried. Did she really ... feel this bad about him? Is this what a true friend is like? He wondered about all of the possibilities. Love, friendship, hatred, sorrow. That is life combined, but his life was hatred, war, sorrow, and death.

Then he realized that he had her. She and her friends ... and all of his other friends here in Konoha ... They were what kept him from the darkness. But she, Sakura Haruno, is that someone who actually swept that pain away.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'll try to be safe for now on," Kakashi breathed.

"...You promise?" He felt her cheeks press against his arm, followed by yet another trail of what felt like tears.

"I promise..."

Now he promised her that he wouldn't hurt himself anymore. That he wouldn't throw himself in the clutches of death. But what she doesn't know is that he also too promised that he would protect her with all of his life, even if it meant the end of his life. That would be breaking her promise though, but for the hell of it, he just wants her to be safe.

"...I promise, Sakura."

* * *

A/N: Well there you go! That was chapter 18 of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. I am, again, terribly sorry for the long wait. I hope you understand what I have been struggling with and such and I did have difficulties updating.

Anyways, I am promising myself that I would update my other stories before Tuesday. And if I can't, I'm gonna slap myself! Okay, that would be weird but you know what I mean. I am truly dedicated to my stories and I am trying to make them as awesome as possible!

ALERT! I MIGHT BE CREATING A NEW STORY ABOUT KAKASAKU DRABBLES. I am gonna try to fumble around with the name to make it look interesting, so yeah! Hope you'd look foward to that!

-XxNarutoFanGurlxX


	19. Simple Things Take on Challenges

A/N: I appreciate all of your reviews a bunch! If I was to reach sixty or more reviews, I would create a special chapter just for you all! It would be so special that I'd be willing to put a little something more in the lemon area for you! Just saying, I am not perverted, but I try to make things spicy for the sake of your entertainment.

So guess what you have to do?

REVIEW ! ! !

* * *

Kakashi walked out of Leaf University with a slight, sweet smile on his face. He was happy ... He was definitely happy because it was finally summer. And summer meant summer break. And summer break meant _no school_. He was proud for working so hard on giving his students a great mental workout.

"Kakashi!"

He looked over his shoulder, only to find Sakura running after him with a big wide grin on her face. She bear-hugged him and nearly toppled him over, her giggles filling his eardrums. She finally got off of him after a minute or two, but his legs were still numb.

"_Never_ do that again," Kakashi muttered as he struggled to find his balance.

Sakura helped him up and frowned. "Never hug you? What's wrong with hugs?"

Kakashi grinned and patted her on the head as she pouted confusingly. "I didn't say you couldn't hug me. Just don't squeeze the air outta me ... Or the blood," he chuckled, his fingers rubbing her soft and peachy skin.

"I think we could work that out."

"Alright ... So what's the actual reason of why you're here?"

"Didn't I just do it? I wanted to hug you to show how much I love you," she laughed gently.

Sakura pressed her lips lightly against his, causing him to blush in surprise and pleasure. This was the first time they had actually kissed ... on the lips. It's not a bad thing but it _was_ the _first_ time. He was just a little shocked ... that's all. It was honestly unexpected.

Their lips parted and she nuzzled her head into his chest. She then mumbled something against his clothes, but he didn't catch the words correctly. All he heard was muffled breaths ... Maybe he should just guess of to why she was here.

"You need a ride home, don't you?" Kakashi asked teasingly.

"...Yeah. If you don't wanna take me, I could go with Shikamaru."

"Uh, who said I said no?"

Sakura smiled brightly and tagged along with him as they both headed toward his car. He could tell that today was going to be a very happy day ... He _hoped_ it would be.

III

The two love birds were back at the apartment now, their destination getting closer by the minute. All they had to do was climb up the stairs and take their separate ways into their own apartment homes, although, it was taking an awful lot of time for them to arrive.

Kakashi shoved his hands deep down into his pockets and rolled his shoulders in circular motions. It hadn't felt this good to be free since forever. And he finally had a chance to relax, especially since he was _finally_ in a relationship with Sakura Haruno.

He narrowed his mismatched eyes at her and observed her as she absentmindedly dodged the incoming objects and furniture while she texted. Sometimes he wondered how teenagers could do that while their eyes were occupied by something that seemed so 'interesting'.

Sakura suddenly jerked her head to the side to face him and glared at him with wonder. Was she secretly watching him too?

"I can seriously feel your gaze piercing through my head, Kakashi," she mumbled lazily, her hair falling in front of her eyes.

Kakashi smiled innocently and shrugged as of how Shikamaru Nara would (He was beginning to think that he was becoming more like his students after bonding with them). "Isn't that a good thing?" he questioned.

"More like ... awkward and weird, but yeah. It can be a good thing."

"... I feel stupid now."

"Awe, don't be. Everyone is stupid in some odd way."

"Uh - I don't know if that's a compliment."

"Aha, I don't either."

"Perhaps everyone is weird."

"Told ya."

Sakura suddenly stopped and quickly pulled out her house keys. Kakashi figured that they have arrived at their rooms since he wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, his eyes only concentrated on that beautiful face of hers. He mimicked her actions and began to unlock his door ... Not until her hand snatched his keys away.

Kakashi looked at her questioningly with deep red and black eyes, his eyebrows arched inward with puzzlement. She had simply motioned for him to come in, so he did as he was told and swiftly entered her apartment, his bottom soon taking upon the comfort of her soft creamy-colored couch.

He sighed and glanced at her. She was preparing beverages, as it seemed, for him and her to dissolve their hungering thirst. For once, she was actually doing something convenient, rather than teasing him all day with childish jokes.

"Sakura -" Kakashi accepted his fresh lemonade and took a sip before continuing his statement. "- Why'd you invite me?"

Sakura shrugged and plopped beside him, her head nestled on his shoulder. "I dunno, maybe I was bored."

"Don't you mean lonely?"

"I'm never lonely. I'm just always bored when you or the others aren't here. I mean - you guys are the only ones who actually make me happy. My family is just one long separated thread, but to me, you guys seem like a real family who stays by my side." She set her glass onto the small Japanese coffee table. "Or then again, maybe you are the one who makes me feel tied with the others."

The silver-haired teacher eyed her with a boring expression. He scooted to the right, causing her body to fall flat onto the open space between them. She grunted a little and crossed her arms, her lips perked into a pout.

"I wasn't asking for a long lecture. You're like the teacher now and I'm the student," Kakashi yawned lazily.

"And you're becoming a lazy-ass like Shikamaru," Sakura snickered teasingly.

Of course she'd say that ...

He just decided that he would turn her joke upside down to piss her off a little.

"Thanks, I know I'm such a low-working man," he mumbled.

Sakura's eyes twitched with slight anger and she cracked her knuckles. To be honest, that frightened him. She was a mighty strong woman indeed, and he knew he himself was stronger, but he would never go up against someone he loves deeply! She was his girlfriend for crying out loud!

"_Now_ I wonder why I invited you," Sakura muttered as she settled her head on a pillow behind her.

"I've been wondering that myself."

"Maybe 'cause I love you."

"I thought you said that you do."

Sakura crawled closer straddled him, her legs squeezing his thighs and her hands slowly bringing his face to hers. For a second, he had no idea what she was doing and why she was acting this way. At first, he thought that she was seducing him.

"I do love you, Kakashi," she purred sexily.

And then she simply tugged on his lips pleasurably, causing him to sink into ease and relax.

Sakura licked his lips as she clung onto his neck, her fingers hooking into his skin. Yes indeed, it hurt to be pinched by nails, but for the hell of it, he enjoyed the taste of her strawberry lips. He felt himself harden, but what the heck. He didn't really care.

Kakashi begged for an entrance and she allowed it immediately. The next thing you know, they were sharing tongues, their mouths devouring each others. Sakura suddenly began to grind against his hardened membrane and he moaned into her mouth as she yet again stole another kiss.

He gritted his teeth as he watched her with squinted eyes, her emerald-teal eyes glaring straight through him. Now her gaze was piercing through him ...

"Ugh, Sakura -" Kakashi's moan interrupted him from finishing his statement. He felt this sudden urge to stop this sexual moment. He didn't want it to go that far. But before doing anything else, he reached his climax and came into his sweat pants, something wet besides his cum soaking into the cloth. He assumed that she had reached her point as well.

She collapsed onto him, a weary smile glued to her face. He couldn't deny it. It was enjoyable ... He smiled back in a 'your welcome' manner.

"I...I didn't think I'd take it this far," Sakura breathed heavily, her voice hitched.

"I didn't think I'd go with it," Kakashi replied foolishly.

He shakily stood up and frowned as he took a look at himself.

"I'm gonna quickly go to my place and change."

"I have to change too," Sakura said, "Be back in five minutes."

"I'd be back in three."

"I'll leave the door open."

"You better, kid."

"I'm not a kid, oldy."

"Bitch."

"Bastard."

"Yeah, I love you too."

"See you in a little bit, Kash Kash."

... Silence ...

Kakashi dropped his head as he exited the room. "...Yeah, sure."

* * *

A/N: I hoped you liked this chapter! Yessss, I spiced it up a little bit! Hope you enjoyed this little chappy of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. Make sure to check my other stories out too! I love ya all!


	20. Surprising Letter

A/N: Hello to you all and I am terribly sorry for updating late ): But lately, I have injured both knees and is experiencing bilateral knee pain. Now I can't to Track and Field for the final month of the season (which sucks!) and can't participate in PE for three weeks. On the bright side, I don't have to do anything hardworking in PE and I get a chance to talk more to my teacher but then I might get super bored, and plus, Track and Field made me a person but now I have to quit -_- Anyways, that's my story and I might also get physical therapy as well so that makes updating my stories even harder! Sorry about that you guys, but it all just happened ):

I just really hope that this chapter makes it up to you all and thanks for reviewing anyways!

Don't Forget To Review!

* * *

To Sakura's surprise, she has received a letter from the Leaf University at such a late time in the summer. She wondered why they would do such a thing, especially since almost every student is on their summer break. Well, she was having such a great time so she figured that they must be having the times of their lives to, but after taking a look at that extremely long letter, she thought that they must have made a difficult decision about whatever they were deciding about.

"Oh Sakura, what's that paper you have right there? Is it another letter from Naruto or some death threat from Lee to force you to date him?" Kakashi lugged into her living room and gave her a long bored stare with his mismatched eyes.

She has forgotten that Kakashi had a little sleepover with her last night. To be precise, he didn't actually sleep with her - and I mean sex - but only fell asleep beside her when he was supposedly observing her. It was awkward for her to find him right beside her with his arms wrapped around her, but she managed to live with it. It wasn't really that bad having to find your lover right beside you.

"No," Sakura murmured as she sipped on her coffee, "It's a letter from the university. I haven't read it yet." She set her coffee mug on the tabletop and shrugged. "I guess you want to read it with me then," Sakura continued.

Kakashi mimicked her recent action and urged for her to sit beside him on the couch. She did what he wanted her to do and held the paper out in front of them for the both of them to read.

_Dear Sakura Haruno,_

_We have examined your grades and improvement over the last few weeks of your summer break and had a very hard decision to make. We even forced Ibiki to examine your test/exam results in hope of getting better thoughts about our choice with you. _

_Oh that is right, we haven't really mentioned anything to you yet about our decision. _

_Anyways, we have known that you were attending the university for the past three years as you worked to get your degrees and diplomas for becoming a doctor. And well - we have decided that it has been long enough for you to have stayed here in the Leaf University._

_We are not kicking you out of the school, but we are promoting you to your master degree and will offer many opportunities for you, especially extra medical training if you need it. And don't worry, you aren't the only one who has been promoted to this graduation. We have also selected some of your friends and other students as well: Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, Chouji Akamichi, Ino Yamanaka, Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Tenten, Samui, and Haku._

_We hope that you are happy with this school promotion and we will see you on this date for your graduation ceremony._

_(Your professors may be there as well to congratulate you. Some of them at this moment may know about the graduation, and some may not. We are pretty sure that these are the following that do not have any idea about this: Kakashi Hatake, Raidou, Kurenai, and Anko.)_

_June 23, 2011 - 4:30 to 6:30_

_Graduation Party: 6:45 to 8:30_

_Sorry for the late notice._

_From,_

_The Hidden Leaf University_

Sakura gasped as she finished reading the last few lines of the letter, her lips curving into a great, big smile in those moments. She joyously and suddenly wrapped her arms around Kakashi and nearly squeezed the life out of him. He chuckled forcefully and pried her away from his body and ruffled her hair.

"Congratulations, Sakura Haruno. I guess you are now an official adult." Kakashi paused to watch her with awe. "I have never seen anything like this, honestly. You and your friends sure must be intelligent to graduate from college so early. I don't even think anything like this has happened before!" he exclaimed.

Sakura grinned and stuck her tongue out. "I guess I'm beast!" She laughed at her own 'joke' and nestled her head on his shoulder. "Maybe I can move in with you now," she teased.

"Uh - eh - We live right beside each other. No need for that kiddo," Kakashi muttered as he pushed her face away from his. "Besides, you're still not a _mature_ adult."

"Speak for yourself," Sakura grunted as she crossed her arms, "You act like a child all the time, especially when Genma or Raidou comes over to your house for a couple of shots." She shook her head in disappointment and sighed. "Besides that, I never thought I'd see you drink something so strong."

"Hmpf, I'll have you know that those two are idiots and are extremely annoying." Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair as he eyed the pinkette. "And a man's gotta drink at least once in his life. It's not something daily though, so you should be glad I'm not alcohol-crazy."

"... Oh I'm sorry. All I heard was something about Genma or Raidou being an idiot er something. I think."

"Ah Sakura, you disappoint me sometimes."

"You shouldn't be talking. You zone out all the time when Shizune is giving you lectures about your health."

"Medical stuff doesn't appeal to me that much."

"I have noticed that way long ago."

"I know."

"... Does that mean that you'd hate me if I became a doctor or nurse?" Sakura stared at him with big droopy eyes, her glossy lips curved into the slightest frown. Damn her and her innocent looks.

But he wasn't gonna lie ...

"Honestly, I hate hospitals and all that stuff, but I guess if you were going to work in one, it would make my liking to medical health a little better. And besides that, I'd get to see you almost everyday if I were to get injured," Kakashi said happily.

"Is that a compliment?"

Kakashi placed his lips on hers and grinned as he felt her cheeks heat up.

"Oh yeah, it is," he whispered in between breaths.

III

"Congratulations to all of you early graduates. We wish you a happy life and hope that you will encounter many opportunities as you mature into an adult!" Tsunade slurred into the microphone as she sipped her sake. People watched as she stumbled off the stage and run into Jiraiya, the lowest English ELA writing class in the university and the most perverted man in all mankind. The two drunk teachers simply nibbled on each others flesh and took it to the janitor's room to finish things up.

Sakura shuddered as she heard Jiraiya chuckle deviously while he locked the door behind them. Kakashi wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. "Hey, Sakura. Ignore those two, alright? You don't want those perverted people ruining your graduation party, now do we?" he murmured as he stroked her hair.

Sakura smiled foolishly and nodded while she stepped back. She fixed her wrinkled dress and strode off with high heels toward her friends on the opposite side of the room. And Kakashi simply watched her with a hungry glare, his mismatched eyes only concentrated on her. Only on her.

"Hey Kakashi!" Genma jogged up to him and slapped him across the arm. "Don't tell me you're turning out to be like Jiraiya! We already have enough perverted people, but now you?" He laughed as he chewed on what seemed to be a sweet treat.

"Never in my life," Kakashi said with disgust, "I would never ever turn out like that old bastard. He's nice and everything but man, where the hell is that dignity of his..."

The two exchanged glances and chuckles as they continued to joke about Jiraiya dating Tsunade and how disgusting it was, especially since the two of them are practically elderlies.

"Hey, uh - Hatake," Genma suddenly mumbled, "So how's your relationship going with Sakura Haruno? That pink-headed bitch?"

"She is not a bitch."

"Well she smacked me across my forehead when I was simply bending down to grab my pencils."

"And you call me a pervert."

"I dropped my pencil!" He wailed. "And do you know if she takes karate? She's too strong to be a girl!"

"I don't know," Kakashi replied with a shrug.

The silver-haired teacher was enjoying the fact that Genma had forgotten about his question. He never really felt great talking about his relationship with Sakura around people, even if those people were the closest of friends. It was just too private ... And awkward.

"So how is it?" Genma piped.

"How is what?"

"Don't try to confuse me! I haven't forgotten about my question that I asked earlier!" he smirked.

Kakashi slapped his face into his right palm and sighed a big sigh. Why oh why did he and Raido have to be idiots? Well, no backing away now. He was already stuck in that stupid gaze of his. He just wished that he was a ninja so he could poof out of here and right beside Sakura.

"Alright," Kakashi gave in disappointingly, "It's going well. Nothing major happened. We're just sharing kisses and stories and all. Nothing major, nothing big and exciting. There. You happy now, Shiranui?" Kakashi drank the last of his coke and threw the can into the trash.

Genma hung his head and mumbled something under his breath. Kakashi figured that he was disappointed and beat after having him confess the oh-so-exciting things about his relationship with Sakura. At least he doesn't know that he had that special moment with her on that other day ... Oh how pleasurable that was.

"You're no fun, Hatake. You're almost as boring as Ibiki, except that old coop is more of a killer machine." Genma strode away from his location with small steps. Perhaps Kakashi did bore him a little too much. Too bad so sad for him.

Meanwhile, Sakura was happily having fun with her best of friends: Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, Chouji, Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru, Haku, Rock Lee, and Samui, It was almost everyone who was promoted, although Gaara couldn't make it because his father had recently passed away and Temari and Kankuro had said that they always had to stick by their little brother. Those three siblings ... they can never be separated.

"Sasuke-kuun," Ino purred into the raven's ear, "You should try my snack. It's sweet and tasty."

Sasuke caught onto what the blonde-head was suggesting and angrily glared at her with dark black eyes. He slightly, not harshly, shoved her face away from his and stepped closer to Naruto and Hinata to avoid that desperate demon.

"Never in my life, Ino. Never ever," Sasuke muttered with disgust, "I don't even know how you graduated. You're not that smart."

Ino gasped and growled under her breath, her back turned to him. She pouted and murmured, "Geez, a simple no would have been better! Why the hell do you have to be such a fucking bastard sometimes, Sasuke!"

"Because you say the most stupidest things that you of course know that I would never accept."

"Wha- you irritate me!"

"Hey guys!" Sakura pushed the two arguing friends apart and clenched her fists in threat. The both of them backed away with scared expressions, including the surrounding people. Everyone was scared of her when she got pissed. Sakura was just the type of a girl that was just too damn strong. "It's a graduating party. Not a 'lets-fuck-around-and-kill-each-other party," she sighed.

"Well, let's not piss each other off anymore!" Naruto suggested fearfully, his eyes shaking.

Hinata giggled silently and hooked her arm with Naruto's. "Well there you have Sakura. A nice girl who is yet also terrifying. I don't mind though. You're still a great friend," she commented.

Sakura took that as a half-compliment and half-insult, but no one could hurt Hinata. She was just too innocent and quiet to hurt. She never did anything wrong and well - no one could hurt her. Hinata Hyuga, kindest girl on the street.

Sakura focused her gaze on her friends once again after giving the recent moment some thought, only to find Neji gazing at her with expecting eyes. She was wondering what he or anybody else has said ...

"So Sakura. Enjoying it?" Neji mumbled.

"Enjoying what?"

"Your relationship with Kakashi."

The pinkette blushed and tossed her head in the other direction. "O-of course. He's a great guy," she stuttered.

Lee suddenly grew red and boasted, "I will accept the fact that you are dating Hatake Kakashi!"

Sakura shoved her hand on his mouth and begged for him to stop yelling.

That stupid bowl-headed freak.

She couldn't believe that she was his friend.

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Don't Forget To Review Everyone!


	21. He Will Never Let Her Go

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but you see, I have been in the hospital because of an injury . . . and yeah. So um, sorry again. Anyways, I haven't really been good at writing this story since it was my first one so I am going to try to make it better again. You can count on more drama, more romance, and more friendship.

Please Review!

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Boredom. Oh how she _hated_ boredom.

Sakura sighed and kicked her sandals off. Her eyes concentrated on the rippling water as she waded her feet in the lake. A small orange-red fish bobbed its head out of the water and stared at her, almost as if it was happy to see her. Eventually, Sakura found herself giggling halfheartedly as the fish scurried about, its tail flapping against her heel.

"Little fish," Sakura whispered with a smile, her hand waving goodbye as she watched the fish disappear into the clear water. She planted her hands back on the wooden boards of the dock. A thought popped into her head after leaning closer to the lake.

If she were to fall in, would the fish find her again and try to help her swim back to surface? Is it even smart enough to do that? Perhaps not, but it is an idea. She shook her head and kicked her legs back and forth, watching the splashes and mini waves confront the wood. No, the fish would never be able to do that.

Boredom. If there was nothing else to do, she'd just go whack, or at least that's what Choji had told her before. Sakura, of course, went against his statement. She never found making new friends with animals wrong or awkward. She found it nice and appealing.

Plus, you never know if they would return to support you. Animals are obedient and kind, as long as you were treating them nicely. She knew if that she screwed up even once, the wild one would go on a rampage of some sort. Life. Nature. That is how it is.

Sakura released a low short breath and murmured, "I've been waiting for you to come along. I was beginning to lose hope until you finally came." She turned to look over her shoulder and found Kakashi standing there with somewhat of a surprised expression.

"I never expected to see you here, Sakura. Although, I do have an idea of what you're talking about." Kakashi sat beside her and kicked his shoes off, mimicking the wading action that was consuming her mind. He let his hand travel to hers, and then their fingers locked.

"I know you like coming to this dock. I don't know why, but I chose to wait here until you actually walked by," Sakura explained silently, "I needed to talk to you. About something. We don't have any issues, you know-our relationship-but something else is bothering me."

He looked at her with mismatched eyes and found her face to be very pale, her expression unsure and full of doubt. He shrugged. "I know you're having troubles with the graduating stuff, Sakura. There's nothing wrong with it though. You're a full-grown woman and you are capable of taking care of yourself now."

She shuddered. She has to admit it. She has to admit that she is scared. Scared. Frightened of moving on her own. She didn't know if she was ready ... to take on life by herself.

"I don't know if I'm ready to do anything by myself though. I am an official adult and well - I don't know if what career I choose will lead me to the right life," Sakura breathed, "I'm scared Kakashi. I'm scared." She nestled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Whatever path you choose, it would be the correct one." Kakashi tightened his grip on her hand. "You are an outstanding young woman and is very intelligent. I believe that you will choose the correct paths, Sakura. And if you're ever confused at one point, go to your friends, your family. Ask questions. There's not a problem with that, right?"

Sakura managed to smile a little. She hugged his arm and brushed her foot against his. "Will you guide me? Escort me?" she asked wearily, her voice pitched into a small squeak. Nervous. She was nervous.

"Of course," replied Kakashi with ever so ease.

"Promise?"

Kakashi grinned and gently pressed his lips against hers, and when their faces parted, he whispered, "I promise, Sakura. I promise." He thumbed her chin and backed away to stare at the sunset. He felt her body shiver unnervingly, but he just knew that she trusted him.

He promised her, and he would never let her go.

. . .

Kakashi woke up after feeling a slight small tap on his shoulder. He groggily opened his eyes and looked at his side to find Sakura, his love, sleeping soundly on him. Tap. He felt the tapping again. Something bright flashed at his eyes, and he knew that couldn't be the moon or sun. The sun does not come out on such a dark night and the moon never gleams brightly.

He cringed his eyes and spotted an officer, who wasn't pretty far away, pointing his flashlight directly at them. He waved and watched as the man stepped closer.

The officer had a face that almost resembled Sasuke. His hair was black and was pulled back into a small ponytail. He had two unusual lines following down his hollow cheekbones, and his eyes were as dark as night-almost red if you looked closer.

Oh, that was it! He was Itachi Uchiha, one of the top police officers in Konoha.

And the older brother of Sasuke Uchiha.

"Ah, you must be Kakashi Hatake," Itachi began slowly, "My little brother Sasuke told me all about you and how you were such a smart-ass."

"I never expected an officer like you to be a badmouth but I suppose its alright," Kakashi muttered silently, "And yes, I guess I am a smart-ass."

Itachi chuckled, careful to make sure that he wasn't too loud. So then seeming so, he must have noticed Sakura sleeping on him. But why exactly wasn't he going against it like the rest of the police? Why wasn't he questioning him?

"Oh yes, I almost forgot." Itachi twirled the flashlight in his hand. "I suggest you guys head on home because I got called here for a reason."

"What's wrong in these parts, Itachi?" Kakashi wondered aloud.

He shrugged and replied, "They ordered for me to investigate this place because someone called in saying that they saw two people hanging around here." He eyed Kakashi and the pink-haired girl with suspicion. "I suppose those two people are you and her," he continued.

Kakashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, I guess we are. Sorry 'bout all the trouble, Itachi."

"No no, it's all right. I enjoyed visiting this place anyways."

... Silence ...

"Mr. Hatake, I'm letting you and your girlfriend off the loose. Well you weren't much in a bind either so...yeah."

"Uh - thanks, Itachi."

"No problem."

Kakashi began to rise to his feet and settled Sakura back on the hollow trunk. He stretched his constricted muscles and stiff bones, then turned to the girl once again, trying to decide how to bring her back home.

"Do you need help?"

Itachi was still there behind him, wondering maybe.

The silver-haired man spun around and shook his head. "It's all right. I can carry her home. It's not hard carrying her anyways," said Kakashi, quickly picking up Sakura.

"Alright." The officer began walking off in the other direction, but suddenly, he paused. "You know you're lucky to have her," he called out.

Kakashi rose an eyebrow in surprise.

"Sasuke told me how much Sakura means to him and the rest of her friends, especially you. He tells me that she is really kind and cares about almost everyone, known or unknown," Itachi sighed, "And for once, I agree with my little brother. When I first saw her lying on you, I saw the kindness in her."

He started walking again, and after a couple of seconds, he disappeared into the dark. All Kakashi heard was the echoes of his final words, "You are a lucky man, Hatake."

. . .

Sakura rolled onto her side and yawned. Immediately, she sat up, realizing that it was almost midday. Her eyes snapped open, and another yawn soon followed. Boy, she was damned tired.

She moved her hands around her and was happy to feel her soft bed sheets again. Wait - bed sheets?

Confusingly, she twisted her head around, shocked to find herself back in her own bedroom. But how? And if so, who brought her back home? She hung her head frustratingly, having a hard time trying to remember what had happened last night.

Nothing. Nothing happened that night. All she could remember was talking to Kakashi. But what happened after that? Sakura sighed drastically and jumped out of her bed, tired of trying to figure out what occurred on that day.

Sakura walked into her bathroom and stripped herself naked, eventually turning the shower on. When the time had come, she stepped into the shower and began washing herself clean. A little soap here and there, and she was done. There wasn't much dirt to get rid off anyways, due to the fact that she didn't do anything messy recently.

The pink-haired girl snatched a towel off the bar and began drying herself consistently, not wanting to drip water on the tiled floor or carpet. Finally, she flung the towel around her supposing flawless body and stepped out into the open.

She shuffled back into her room and scanned through her open drawers, searching for the appropriate clothing for the hot sunny weather. Nothing. All of her favorite tops and shorts ... they were in the laundry. A lazy groan escaped her lips as she sulked out the door.

Damn it all. To be honest, she did _not_ want to move about constantly. She was tired. Amazingly tired, and she hasn't been this exhausted since school. She wondered why. This unusual exhaustion. What could be causing it? Stress? Or is it the fact that she's not ready to take life on by herself?

"Sakura?"

Sakura stopped halfway through the living room, her eyes wide to the point where it looked as if her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, her mouth wide open.

There, sitting on her couch, was Kakashi Hatake. And there she was, naked, only wrapped with a thin white towel, in the middle of the room where the light beamed most brightly.

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A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. And if you're wondering, the next chapter with be a LEMON. Yes, I said it. A lemon. Happy now? If you're young reader, I suggest that you do NOT read the following chapter unless you really want to.

It's gonna be a special chapter.

Nice and long. Yupp.

Just saying, I'm not perverted. I'm just gonna write the lemon for the fun of it and you readers who enjoy those lemons.


	22. Lemon

Authors Note:

Hello to all of you people. This is a chapter where there would probably be a lot of sexual content. And by that, I mean sex. And if you don't enjoy this kind of stuff, don't read the chapter unless you really want to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**WARNING. IF YOU ARE BELOW THE AGE OF 13, I SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER. **

**LEMON**

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"Sakura?"

She stopped halfway across the room, frightened - no - horrified to find Kakashi sitting on her couch, especially since she was only covered with a thin white towel. She was terrified. She was scared. She was nervous. She was_ panicking_.

And then the memory hit her.

Kakashi carried her all the way home. She could remember when she had woke up in the middle of the night, only to find him sleeping on the chair placed in the corner of her bedroom. That was why he was here. That was the reason why she was in this mess.

But it was her fault, she knew it was her fault, because she just had to forget about everything that happened on that other day. Stupid. She felt so stupid.

"K-Kakashi," Sakura stuttered, "I forgot that you were here."

Kakashi gazed at her with somewhat a hungry stare. "I thought I heard the shower running," he mumbled as he tried to cover his eyes with his hand.

"I'm sorry Kakashi," said Sakura, "I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?"

He shook his head and lied, "You didn't mean to..." He gulped and mentally slapped himself. The images of her being naked. The images of him being inside of her. Damn it all, it was all slipping into his mind.

He felt himself harden at the sight of her wrapped with only a towel. Her cleavage was in perfect view, and the towel complimented her ass. Her tight, tight ass. Her legs were perfect and her body was slim and curved. Oh, and the best part was how she was still slightly moist from her shower. Oh dear God, he knows that he wants her. Badly. Really_ badly_.

He took a peek at her again, only to find her looking at him with a small smile.

She was enjoying it. He knows it. Sakura was enjoying the sight of him trying to fight back his need of her. You could tell. Her emerald eyes seemed oh-so-innocent, but he could point out the amusement. She was snickering. Secretly laughing at him.

Sakura walked up to him with small steps, as if she was trying to make herself look vulnerable. Easy to take advantage of. Finally, when she had reached him, she bent over him, her covered breasts ghosting over his chest, and whispered, "Are you_ okay_, Kakashi?"

Kakashi sank further back into his seat and groaned inwardly. Her scent was intoxicating. She smelled like cherries and strawberries, and her voice was filled with sweetness, almost a purr. And he knew what she was doing. She was taunting him. Mocking him. Making fun of him. He didn't like what she was doing at all.

"Sakura, I honestly don't like what you're doing to me," Kakashi mumbled. He attempted to slide out of her grasp, but was only pinned to the chair, her hands on his, her fingers rubbing against his skin.

Seducing. She was seducing him.

"But Mr. Hatake, I have no idea what you're talking about," she wailed innocently, her face coming close to his. She grinned and licked her glossy lips, blew on his nose, and backed away. "I don't see how you don't like _this._" Her hand roamed down his stomach and settled on his hardened membrane. She lightly thumbed it and giggled as she felt his body shift uncomfortably.

"Sakura, please. I-" He was interrupted as she straddled him, her ass brushing against his thighs. He bit back a moan and closed his eyes in hope of pushing the naughty thoughts away. He felt her fingers travel to his neck and back to his arms. It felt all so good, but ... but he just can't.

Suddenly, Sakura's lips pressed against his own and immediately, her tongue slid over his bottom lip. She wanted his entrance. She wanted to explore. He could feel her fingers tap against his hard-rock cock, and he gasped. And then there was her chance, and she took it. Her tongue entered his mouth and she tasted him. Kakashi wasn't responding though. He was hesitating. He didn't know ...

Their lips parted and Sakura smiled as she watched the saliva drip down to his chin. She smirked and wiped it away, soon sucking on her index-finger with much delight. "You liked that, didn't you?" she sighed as she brought her head to his shoulder.

Kakashi sat still, unsure of how to react. He was the man; the boyfriend. But she, Sakura Haruno, was the one taking advantage of him when he was the one who was supposed to be taking advantage of her.

What to do, oh, what to do?

"I think you should stop," said Kakashi.

Sakura shifted in her position, causing her tight tight ass to press against his membrane. And without thinking, he moaned and gripped onto her waist. She smiled deviously in victory.

She had won. He had lost.

And now let the games _begin_.

"Why should I stop when you _want _me?" she hissed silently. "I mean - I need you _more than anything._"

Sakura began grinding against his cock again, and this time, she received more responses. Kakashi was moaning more often now, and he was reacting like how he should have reacted way earlier in the beginning. His strong hands were supporting her on the waist as she rubbed back and forth. Eventually, she was moaning too. She could feel their pace get faster and faster by the minute, and of course, the both of them were enjoying it. Suddenly, her lips parted and she began wailing into his ear, her arms hanging around his neck. Soon enough, she and him had reached their climax and had cum all over the couch.

Kakashi fell back against the wall and breathed heavily. He eyed her and found her giggling against his chest.

"Neh, Kakashi," she squeaked, "Are we done already?" Her hand began untying the knot on her back and the towel fell to her legs, exposing her breasts and stomach. She pressed herself against him again, only to have him stare at her expectantly. "Or are you just getting started, hm?" she continued.

Kakashi glared at her with mismatched eyes, and within a few moments, her hardened bud was in his mouth, the other being tweaked by his fingers. Minute by minute, the arousing smell kept filling his nostrils, encouraging him to continue. His tongue slipped over her nipple and she moaned quietly, and then he gently bit onto it, making her twitch in his arms. He could feel his sweatpants getting wet. Not wet from his pre-cum, but it was getting wet because of her. Damn, she smelled so sweet that he wondered if she tasted like the same thing.

All of a sudden, he lifted her off the couch and pinned her to the ground, his gaze full of hunger and darkness. He licked his dry lips and scanned her body, his membrane hardening to the sight of her perfect details. A grin spread across his face and he whispered, "It's _my_ turn now, babe."

Before Sakura could do anything to stop him, he moved down and began licking her womanhood. She released a loud gasp and her face grew red as he skillfully licked and nibbled her clit. He smiled against her folds as he felt her back arch. She was close. Very close. And he knew how to give her a spectacular end. He pushed one digit through her folds, his cock hardening to the sound of her small delighted scream. And then two digits. And then three. Moments later, he continued to lick her clit as he pushed his fingers in and out of her. He felt her legs shaking, her body aching, her fast-paced breaths. In a matter of seconds, she came all over his mouth. He gladly licked his lips clean and rose his face high enough to be eye level with her.

He could see her eyes pleading for him. For him to be inside of her. She could see her need. Her want. And to tell the truth, he wanted to be inside of her too, but was she ready?

"Sakura, are you sure you want me to continue?" Kakashi asked huskily. "Because once I start, I don't think I could have full control of myself."

Without answering, Sakura kissed him passionately, her arms hooked around his waist, her tight ass grinding against his hardened membrane every now and then. He gripped firmly onto her sides and guided her as she moved against him, her nude breasts pounding against his chest. She moaned into his mouth and gasped as she felt his hand grapple her left boob. Running out of air, their lips parted to suck in more oxygen for the coming kisses. Sakura bit her lips and whispered, "_Please._"

Her hands slid underneath his shirt and pulled it over him. He tossed the clothing away like it was nothing of use and continued to share tongues with her, his cock getting harder and harder by the minute. She felt so damn good, even though he wasn't inside of her. Her wet pussy was staining his sweat pants. He could feel it. The arousal. It was bleeding through the cloth, spilling on his manhood.

Kakashi pushed her onto her back and licked her lips slowly, in attempt to make her sigh in pleasure. Another moan escaped her soft pink lips as he began biting onto her neck. Love bites. He continued the grinding, needing her to cum all over him again. She needed protection from the rough felt of his clothing, but really, she seemed as if she was really enjoying the intense feeling against her clit. So he didn't mind.

Suddenly, her back arched upward, her breasts pounding against his chest. He grunted as he came into his pants again, but quickly paused to make sure that she doesn't. He could feel her relax back into her original position, although, she didn't seem to happy about it.

He paused to look at her rosy face, her glimmering emerald eyes, her now swollen and luscious lips.

It was time.

Immediately, he took her into his arms and brought her to her bedroom, his sweat pants sagging to the point where you could see half of his blue-checkered boxers.. He carefully settled her on her bed and began hunting for something in her room. He checked the closet, but there was nothing to be found but shoes and dresses. He checked her studying desk, but there was only documents, drawings, and makeup. He sighed drastically and mumbled, "I suppose you have a condom lying around here, guessing that Ino would bring you one in case."

Sakura nodded and murmured, "Bottom left drawer on the closet, underneath all of my clothes."

He followed her directions and searched in the mentioned drawer. It was neatly tucked beneath all of her clothes. She was smart. No one would ever look in that area, especially since it was full of her panties, bras and such. He smirked as a bright yellow note on the condom caught the corner of his eye.

_To: Sakura_

_From: Ino_

_Hey, I brought this to you just in case you ever decide to have sex with some dude. _

_P.S. Tell me every single detail about him! I MUST know._

Kakashi shook his head and shut the drawer, having nothing more to do with that stupid note. He turned his back on her and brought his pants and boxers down, then placed the condom on. He didn't want to spoil the sight of his cock to her just yet.

He turned to face her after refastening the zipper with an expressionless face. He sat on her bed and crawled onto her, his muscular body ghosting over her naked body. She shuddered as she felt an overwhelming feeling zoom up her spine. His nearing chest brought warmth and comfort ... and sweat.

His hungry mismatched eyes pierced her, as if it was burning a hole in her heart. He wanted her. And she wanted him.

Without further hesitation, he pressed his lips against her neck and grinned as he heard her sigh in pleasure. Thinking that she needs more than kisses, he began nibbling on her skin. More like biting. Love bites. She moaned and hooked her legs around his waist, jerking her sex toward his. Failing to hide it, he groaned onto her skin and kissed her straight on the lips in hope of stopping her.

She didn't and continued to move against him, forcing him to moan more than she was. He grunted into her mouth as he felt her hands grip onto his head, her fingers nearly pulling his silver hair out. _Fuck,_ he thought, _I need her. Fuck it all._

Their lips parted and he glared at her. He began guiding her hands onto his pants, helping her slide it down to reveal what she mostly wanted to see. Once the sweat pants was gone, Sakura stared longingly at his full length. It was not too small, not too big, and looked hard as a rock. And the condom placed on the head didn't ruin the image at all. It was like the protection wasn't even there. She hadn't realized how much he wanted her until now.

Kakashi placed the head at her entrance and slowly entered in hope of letting her get used to the pain. Inch by inch, he thrust in further until he felt as if she had finally calmed down. Her eyes were watery and her frown was killing him, but once she reassured him that she was alright, he continued. And finally, his whole cock was inside of her.

Damn. Fuck. She felt so good. She was so tight around him. And he liked it. He liked the feeling more than anything. The pleasure. The aroma of her arousal. It was tempting him. It was pushing him over the limit. He was beginning to lose control.

Kakashi began thrusting in and out of her with a medium pace, kissing her every now and then to savor the taste of her cherry-strawberry lips. She was clinging onto him now, her nails digging deep into his skin. He ignored the pinching pain and pushed himself further in. Immediately, Sakura yelled his name, her voice raspy and full of breaths.

Her screams. Her longing need for release.

It was all driving him mad.

Kakashi thrust into her at a faster pace, the sound of their bodies making contact loud and clear. Her body was shaking, his body was aching. Her yells and screams of pleasure. His grunts and needs of cumming with her. They both needed it all.

"Oh _shit,_" Sakura cried aloud, "_Fuck Kakashi! Fuck!_" Her grip on him tightened as her back arched upward, her breasts now in perfect view.

"Cum with me, babe," Kakashi pleaded, "_Cum with me._"

"Fuck!" Sakura shouted.

Her walls clenched around his throbbing membrane, and the next thing you know, she came. As soon as he felt her cum coat his cock, he came, the gooey milky liquid covering her inner walls. Kakashi toppled on top of her, his chest heaving up and down as he tried to slow his breathing.

Shakily and steadily, he rolled off of her and removed the condom, then tossing it in the trash beside the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, and when the time had come, he glanced at Sakura. She was resting on her back, her eyes glued to his face. She was an angel. She glimmered in the dim sunlight that escaped the blinds on the window. He pink curly hair was sprawled across her back and her lips were curved into the slightest and happiest smile.

Kakashi managed to smile back at her and pulled the sheets over them, his arm eventually wrapping around her. He pulled her close to him, and she accepted the invitation. The two of them lay there for a while, not saying anything, not doing anything.

Suddenly, Sakura whispered, "Don't let me go, Kakashi."

He snuggled close to her and hugged her tighter for reassurance.

He will never let her go.

* * *

A/N: Phew! That took me a while! Well, I just hope that you liked this chapter full of one long lemon. Yes, I made it very detailed for your guy's entertainment and enjoyment.

Thanks for reading and please do review! I would love your feedback on this chapter!


	23. At The Mall

A/N: Hey everybody, XxNarutoFanGurlxX is BACK with another chapter of Cherry Blossoms and Snow. Yes, I know I haven't updated in a while so I'm sorry about that, but here I am again ... with another chapter. So, um - enjoy!

Oh! And I'm on SUMMER BREAK NOW! Which means that I can write as much as I want all day! So prepare yourselves for many good chapters to come! So um - happy summer? .

Don't Forget To Review

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Sakura stepped out of the shower, relieved of all tension ... and sweat from having sex yesterday. She shakily dried herself, careful to not be harsh on drying her throbbing legs. Within a minute, she was dry enough to change into her clothes that she had left, prepared, on her bed right beside her sleeping lover. Sakura departed from the bathroom, not even bothering to wrap a towel around her bare body since she was already used to having Kakashi look at her hungrily, and found her clothes right where she had settled them.

After slipping on her spaghetti strap tank top and her shorts - not too short, not too long - she sat on the mattress and stroked Kakashi's hair, her fingers gliding through his silver strands, which was surprisingly soft and not rough as any other man's hair. A smile spread across Sakura's face as she saw his eyes open to reveal the colors of black and bloody red.

"You look sexy without your clothes," he mumbled somewhat happily, his lazy grin widening to the sight of her reddening face. He chuckled silently and sat up, only to have the sheet fall to his waist, and gently pressed his lips against her forehead.

"I'm not that beautiful, Kakashi," she whispered embarrassingly, her hand cupping his cheek.

"I'll have you know that you are not beautiful." He smirked as he saw a frown cross her face, her emerald eyes flaring with fury. "You're not beautiful because you are _sexy_," he stated.

Sakura was speechless. Just speechless. There was nothing more to say than to blush. Mostly because Kakashi's choice of words were new.

The silver-haired man smiled again and jumped off the bed to walk to the bathroom, his hanging manhood attracting her attention. He shook his head deviously as he closed the bathroom door behind him, knowing that Sakura was forcing herself to stop thinking about him and his private parts.

_Oh Sakura_, he thought joyfully,_ Oh how you please me._

_. . ._

"Sakura-chan, where the heck have you been? Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata and I have been waiting forever! We were about to head out to the mall without you!" called out Naruto from across the neighborhood, his hands cupped around his mouth.

Sakura lazily waved him off and walked down the sidewalk, her legs still a bit shaky. She forced herself to look as normal as possible and not in pain, then continued to walk toward her group of friends. But by the time she had arrived, Shikamaru just _had _to notice the aching pain.

"Sakura, your legs seem unusually shaky," pointed out Shikamaru, "Are you okay?"

Without thinking, she grinned and nodded. "Of course I am!" she lied.

Sasuke suddenly shook his head and heaved a long low breath. "You suck at lying Sakura," he muttered, "It's the truth. So really . . . what is the problem? Your legs are hurting. Your face is apparently pale now. What's going on?"

"Nothing is wrong, Sasuke and Shikamaru. So please, let's head to the mall now," she hurriedly said, her voice nearly cracking under pressure.

"S-Sakura, I h-have to a-agree wi-with them. You appear to be unusually uncomfortable and it is bugging me a bit because you're not telling us what's w-wrong," murmured Hinata as she snuggled her head onto Naruto's shoulder.

Sakura didn't know what to do at the moment. There were three choices she had in mind. Tell the truth and face the consequences. Tell them another lie and hope that it would work. Run away from the conversation and go to the mall by herself. Wait. No. All of those are stupid. It would get her in a tight spot either way.

Before the pink-haired girl could say anything, Kakashi strode out of the apartment complex and gave a smile to her and her group of friends. Everyone looked at him questioningly, but he just simply called out, "Hey, nice seeing you all again." Then he hopped into his blue mustang and drove in the direction of the mall, causing Sakura to mentally slap herself.

And that's when Sakura muttered, "He's what's wrong."

Apparently, everyone understood what she meant besides Naruto, which was expected out of him considering that he was the stupid one in the group.

"I don't get it," wailed Naruto as he held Hinata closer.

"You don't need to get it, dope," sighed Sasuke, his face planting onto the palm of his hand.

. . .

A disgusted frown spread across her face as Ino held out a thong with devious eyes, her fingers stretching the unusually thin felt. Sakura was angry at herself for actually yelling hello at Ino. It only brought her and her friends more trouble, especially since Ino decided that she would join them in their shopping journey around the mall. Stupid. Sakura thought that she was stupid.

"Come on! This thong would definitely attract a man's attention. And by a man, I mean Mr. Hatake!" squealed Ino as she hurriedly rushed toward the cashier.

Sakura groaned as she stormed toward the desk in fury, her emerald eyes flaring and her frown growing bigger by the minute. But when she had finally reached Ino, there was no point in yanking her away for she had already paid for the thong.

"Yay!" she exclaimed. "Sakura, I'll hold this for you. I don't want anyone thinking you're perverted and stuff. Besides, I bought if for you."

"You can keep it if you'd like."

"Sakura, don't you wanna please Kaka-"

"Shut up, please. I'll talk to you about it later. Not now, okay? It's too awkward."

"Fine, we'll have our girl-talk outside of the mall."

"Sure ... hooray for me," muttered Sakura, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

That girl, Ino Yamanaka. She was the most perverted and sexual girl in Konoha. She could make a really good friend but can also be the most biggest hooker in the village. Then again, she has been secretly seeing Genma every now and then. Ino does seem attracted to that chestnut-haired teacher, so maybe her days in being a player would finally end.

Oh how she wished that day would be today.

"Hey, Sakura. We finally found you." Sasuke walked up to her and Ino, along with Hinata, Naruto, and Shikamaru. "We've looked everywhere. In all of the places that you love to go to. But ... I never expected to find you around these parts," he sighed surprisingly.

"Ino dragged me here, Sasuke. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Who said I did? I already know that Ino is stupid enough to go searching around for panties and bras."

"Hey!" Ino snarled. "I'll have you know that they are _very_ appealing."

"Not appealing toward me," he murmured, "You pervert."

"Who the hell are you calling a pervert, you Uchiha-bastard!"

"Woah woah," chimed Shikamaru, "Maybe we should start growing up and you know ... not act stupid!" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor, just hoping that the two teenagers would finally zip their lips shut.

"I have to agree with Shikamaru on this one," said Hinata.

"Me too!" exclaimed Naruto, somewhat happily.

Oh dear. Oh dear. Sakura gazed around her to find some people staring at them awkwardly, as if they thought they were hooligans. Apparently so, they were, considering that Ino was now trying to jump on Sasuke while Shikamaru tried pulling them apart. Oh great. Just great. Sakura ended up in a tight situation, indeed.

A seeming-so large hand settled upon her shoulder, nearly scaring the wits out of her. Sakura turned to look to her side to only find Kakashi Hatake smiling amusingly as his mismatched eyes were concentrating on the fighting 'children'.

"Do you need help here, Sakura?" he asked oh-so-innocently. "It seems as if you don't have your own friends under control."

"They never had any self-control, Kakashi," muttered Sakura bitterly as she clung onto her purse, "I'm just glad I'm not caught in the midst of their battling."

"So may I help you out?"

"I'd really appreciate it, Hatake."

"Hn, I guess your answer would do."

Kakashi calmly strode toward Ino and Sasuke and pulled them apart, slightly nudging Shikamaru to the side so that he wouldn't get hurt if the blonde were to go on another rampage. He then gave all three a short, brief lecture on acting mature and turned to face Sakura. His hand rose to his face and he gave a thumbs-up.

"How'd I do?" he called out.

"Perfect," Sakura laughed.

Within three minutes, the whole group was back together, including Kakashi. No one really talked though. The silence just took over the moments, which most likely bothered Naruto since he hated the unbearable silence and Shikamaru since he assumed that it meant boredom.

Just when Sakura was about to suggest something to do, Kakashi put his arm around her and said, "How about I all treat you to Ichiraku Ramen. It's not too far from here. It's nearby Gamestop."

Of course, Naruto giddily shouted yes, nearly deafening Hinata. The Hyuga simply said yes along with Shikamaru, Sasuke merely nodded, Ino pouted and managed to say yes, and Sakura just tucked her head under Kakashi's chin.

He took her action as a "Sure, why not?"

. . .

"Ugh, Naruto! Stop eating like a pig!"

"You shouldn't be talking, Ino-_pig._"

Naruto rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned victoriously as Ino dug her face back into her bowl of ramen, her face nearly as red as an apple.

"N-Naruto-kun, that wasn't so polite," Hinata murmured silently.

Naruto shrugged and continued to munch on his food. He replied as he chewed his noodles, "Ne. But she started it Hinata-chan." Soup almost splattered on his girlfriend's face after trying to slurp up the soup.

"Oh Naruto," she muttered as she dug her face into her hands.

"Dope, I have to agree with Ino-pig here," began Sasuke, "Stop eating like a slop."

"Now you too, Sasuke?" Naruto thought aloud.

Then the raven-haired boy, too, slapped his face into his hands in disappointment.

Naruto Uzumaki. He was just one big gigantic disgrace to Konoha, considering that he always acted dumb. But if he never existed, then the world wouldn't be the same. So there are reasons of to why they need him and of to why they don't need him.

"Hey Shikamaru." Sakura suddenly poked the Nara kid on the neck, causing him to shudder. His head shot up, revealing two dark eyes that expressed exhaustion. "Damn, you look as tired as hell," she remarked jokingly.

"Hey now, it's not my fault Naruto dragged me around in Victoria's Secret," he yawned as he held a hand to his mouth. Shikamaru then stared at his full bowl of ramen and pushed it toward the yellow-headed nitwit, only to watch him continuously eat like a rabid monster.

"Victoria's Secret?" questioned Kakashi, curiously eyeing Shikamaru.

"He wanted to look at panties and bras. Such a pervert," he replied coolly, eventually earning a smack across his arm from Naruto. "Geez, Naruto! It's the truth! You even swore to tie me to the pole if I didn't tag along!"

"I didn't want to be the only one to look like a pervert."

"... I was used."

"No, you weren't," chimed Sakura with ever so sarcasm.

Kakashi chuckled at his cherry blossom's little joke and hummed, "Hm, it is sure fun to watch you guys argue back and forth and talk about those teenage topics. It's almost as fun when I watched Genma trying to persuade Tsunade into having sex with him."

The teenagers all suddenly stared wide-eyed at him with pale faces and dropped jaws. He simply laughed at their remark and sheepishly scratched the back of his head, his eyes cringing as he grinned.

"More information for an understanding, please," Sasuke softly demanded, his black eyes growing as dark as the night sky. He leaned forward and put on somewhat a devious smile. "I'd just love to hear about Shiranui's famous mess-ups in flirting with the ladies."

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," sighed Kakashi as he shrugged.

"Why not?" everyone asked.

"Let's just say that he got a beating of a lifetime."

. . .

Sakura hopped out of the car and ran up to the entrance. After a few moments, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was six in the afternoon. Wow, it was just amazing. She couldn't believe that she and her friends have been at the mall for five hours. Perhaps that place is pretty amusing after all, or at least, that's what Neji and Lee had told her the last time she was there.

The sound of the car door shutting pounced against her eardrum. She snapped out of her thoughts and absentmindedly began walking back to her apartment, bumping into the wall or other furniture every now and then as she took a turn in the hallway. Finally, within a couple of minutes, she had reached her door.

Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys, then slipping them into the key slot where she then unlocked the door. But before entering her humble abode, an arm shot out of nowhere, blocking her from moving any further.

"Yo, Sakura. You left this in my car."

The pink-haired girl looked up to find a pair of onyx and blood-red eyes looking at her softly. She then glanced as his hand, only to see her jacket that she _thought_ she had lost. It was a relief to find that it wasn't lost. That jacket was damn expensive and she just cannot afford to lose it! It would have been a waste of money ...

"G'night, Sakura."

His lips gently pressed against her forehead and before she knew it, he locked himself in his apartment, leaving her all alone in the dim-lighted hallway. Sakura smiled at the feeling of his warmth tingling on her skin.

"Goodnight, Kakashi," she whispered.

And then she too locked herself in her own apartment to sleep her world away.

* * *

A/N: Phew, well that took me quite a while.

Urm, well ... I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!


	24. The End

A/N: Disclaimer - I don't own any part of Naruto

Hello everybody! Sorry for not updating so soon but I was very busy these past few weeks. I just hope that this chapter makes it up to you...

Just saying, but I can't say that I'm inspired enough to go on with this story so I'm ending it with this chapter. Trust me, this chapter is going to be very long so that you can enjoy it. Sorry for all fans who like this story ):

* * *

The first couple ray of light managed to slip through the blinds on her window and hit Sakura on the face, the warmth tingling on her skin. Slowly, her eye lids slid open, revealing her shining emerald eyes. Sleepily, she sat up and stretched her arms, feeling the tension slip away from grasp. Afterward, she hopped out of bed and clumsily waddled to her kitchen.

Sakura reached out to grab the mug and poured herself some coffee. To savor the bitter taste of her refreshment, she sipped it slowly, her stomach warming to the arriving heat. Suddenly, she felt the jolt of energy hit her and just like that, she was wide awake.

With a clank and a cling, the mug was back in the sink for later dish washing duty and she was off to lock herself in the bathroom. It took a while to actually reach the room, for her footsteps were still unusually uncoordinated. Perhaps she could blame herself for drinking too much sake back at Ichiraku Ramen with her friends, including Kakashi, but maybe it was also Ino's fault for dragging an exhausted person, like herself, all around the mall.

_Click! _The door was locked behind her and Sakura decided that she would take a look of her own reflection. Wearily, she glared at the mirror before her. Her hair strands were crazily tucked behind her ears, her bangs were hiding her right eye, and her face was as pale as the snow that came every year in the Konoha. As sleepy as she was, she has to get back on her feet. Honestly, she didn't want to sit around all day and be like any other couch potato out there in the world.

Stripping herself clean of clothes, she stepped into the shower. Sakura twisted the faucet and watched the water slowly spit out. She cupped her hands, placed it directly under the downpour, and filled it with water until it lapped over her thumbs, then splashed it onto her face. The teenage girl squeezed her eyes shut, feeling somewhat a shock wave shoot through her. Now wide awake, Sakura began to soak herself with soap. Bubbles danced here and there on her skin, some fluttering down to the drain. When the time had come, she washed all of the shampoo away. Then with a twist of the faucet and the whip of her towel, she was out of the shower.

A wisp of pure cold brushed past her legs, causing her to shudder violently. Not being able to take the unusual breeze in her apartment, Sakura immediately dried herself before slipping on a couple of summer casual clothes; white shorts, a black spaghetti strap that was slightly loose, and black flip flops that matched her top.

Sakura strode into her living room, her pink hair bouncing behind her neck. She switched the TV on and flipped through the channels until she reached a somewhat satisfying show that is supposedly meant to teach people how to cook gourmet food. While popping a few cereal bits onto her mouth, she watched intently as the middle-aged woman began frying a medium-cut steak. Suddenly feeling hungry, Sakura stood up to whip something up in her kitchen until she heard a loud knocking on the door.

"It's open!" called out Sakura as she pulled out a frying pan. She arranged some eggs onto the counter top and retrieved a Ziploc bag full of bacon strips. Slowly cracking the eggs and pouring it onto the pan, she took a glance at the visitor.

It was none other than her closest friend, Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hey, I thought I would stop by to bring you some food from the store across your apartment building!" he sang gleefully as he settled one of those to-go boxes on her dining table. "I also decided that I would enjoy this food with you!"

"Great. So can you wait while I finish cooking the last of our breakfast?" she said nonchalantly, her eyes glued to the sizzling bacon. The sight of it crackling and popping just made her mouth water. This was how much she was starving.

"Of course," exclaimed Naruto as he plopped onto her couch, "And did I tell you that I brought in tempura? I know it's been your favorite since high school." She could hear him laughing as he finished the last of his sentence.

That yellow-headed nitwit knew her so well.

Switching the stove off, she placed the two eggs on separate plates, one for her and one for Naruto, along with a small portion of bacon. Sakura asked if he wanted some rice, and just like any other day he came over, he said yes. So after arranging the breakfast she had just prepared, she placed the plates on the opposite sides of the dining table, the box of tempura in the middle.

Only a second has passed and Naruto has already slipped into his seat to begin munching on his food. Sakura watched him as he stuffed himself silly, the boy not even bothering to chew. Thinking that she has had enough of observing her friend, she began eating too. And of course - she would never forget - she snatched a couple of tempura from the box and placed it on her plate.

"Did I ever tell you that you were an amazing cook?" asked Naruto as he took a big gulp of his orange juice.

"I can recall that you told me more than thirty times," laughed Sakura.

"Well you are!"

She never gets enough of this.

. . .

Finally - just finally - Sakura finished washing the dishes. Feeling more exhausted than ever, she slumped onto the couch and groaned inwardly.

Naruto was more than welcome to pop into her little home every now and then, but she always dislikes it when he never bothers to help her out with the cleaning. That yellow-headed pig was always acting like a couch potato whenever he lounged around at her place.

The pink-haired girl leaned further back into her seat and glared at the TV. It was still turned to the cooking channel and at the moment, she wasn't in the mood to watch old people teach how to cook fancy things. Sakura then began to flip through the channels again until she couldn't take the boredom any more.

Immediately, she skipped out of her apartment complex and stepped to the left - she was now in front of Kakashi's front door - to only find a post-it note pasted right in front of her eyes.

It read, 'Out for the morning. Went to a staff meeting.'

Sakura questioningly stared at the note with confused eyes. It wasn't morning anymore. In fact, it was three hours since then. So why would he still not be here? The meeting couldn't have taken that long and she was sure of that, considering that not many of the teachers she knows enjoy long lectures and explanations of future plans.

Disappointingly, she trudged back into her humble abode and flopped back onto the couch, her face dug into a pillow.

She was God damned bored. She couldn't even spend a minute with her boyfriend now that he was gone. There was absolutely nothing to do on such a fine day!

Just then, the phone began ringing. The repeating beeping sound began to buzz in her ears, and when she couldn't take it anymore, she decided that she would answer it for the sake of her peace.

"Hello?"

Minutes passed by and her eyes were beginning to grow wider by the second. Almost too wide to the point where as it seemed as if her eyeballs were going to pop out of their sockets.

"W-what?"

Just like that, the phone fell to the floor with a thump and the front door was slammed closed.

. . .

She waited. They waited.

They were all sitting in the waiting room, some of them fumbling around with objects to take the conflict out of mind while others stared sadly out the window. Some of her closest friends came to accompany her, such as Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino, and Hinata. The rest were just his friends and some of the other professors, such as Genma, Yamato, Izumo, Kotetsu, Tsunade, Anko, and Iruka. All were quiet and uncomfortable, their thoughts on only one thing. And as for her, she just sat there, her mind jumbled into pieces.

She was scared. Sakura was scared. Horrified, frightened, angry, and worried. And there was nothing that she could do about it.

Kakashi was hurt and there was nothing that she could do about it.

. . .

_"Hello?"_

_"Sakura, this is Genma."_

_"Genma? Why are you calling me?"_

_"..."_

_"Genma? Hello?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_"S-sorry for...?"_

_"He got into a car accident."_

_"He? Wait...you don't mean-"_

_"Yes, Kakashi got into a car accident."_

_"W-what?"_

_"Some stupid, drunk teenager named Pein beat a red light and hit Kakashi's car directly on the hood. From what I heard, his car spun around repeatedly until it hit a nearby railing that divided the road and Pein was arrested for drunk driving."_

_"Do you know the damage? How bad of a condition is he in!"_

_"I don't know. I just arrived in the hospital. One of the nurses said that he might be suffering an internal bleeding though..."_

_"..."_

_"Hello? Sakura, are you there?"_

_Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep_

_. . ._

"Sakura, wake up. Wake up, kiddo."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open like butterfly wings and she found herself sleepily gazing at Yamato. She yawned silently and stretched her arms like a child and slumped back into her chair, her head pressed up against the wall. She didn't even bother to say anything to Yamato. All she wanted to do is to continue to wait and hope.

"How long have you been here?" asked Yamato as he took a seat beside her.

Sakura glanced at him. Yamato looked as horrible as she thought she looked. His brown hair was ruffled, but was still somewhat appealing toward her, his face was almost as pale as the cold winter snow, his lips seemed like it was permanently wrenched into a frown, and his eyes looked as dull as the night sky. Guessing from the look on his face, he was just as worried as she was.

"Since this morning," she sighed.

The beeping in the room almost drowned her small little voice.

"It's noon," he murmured, "You have been here too long, Sakura. Take it easy, go home, and rest. I could have the nurse print out some of his injuries and I'll hand it to you later. Genma told me where you live so I can drive over there and help you out. Maybe watch over you."

Sakura stood up and shakily walked over to his resting body on the bed, silently taking his offer into consideration, and stopped dead in front of him, her eyes glued to his broken body. A tear managed to escape her emerald eye and plopped onto his face. Wanting to touch him again, she let her index finger trace along the scar on his right eye.

"Kakashi," she whispered sadly, her voice nearly cracking under pressure.

"He's in a coma, Sakura," Yamato informed as he walked up to her side, his strong, firm hand settling upon her shoulder. It felt almost too much like Kakashi's hand.

"…I know," she cried quietly, "But I wish he wasn't."

"So do I, kid," replied Yamato, "So do I."

The sound of the door opening echoed in the small little room, signaling that someone had just entered. The both of them glanced over their shoulder to only find Shizune standing right behind them, a clipboard in one hand and a tiny bottle of pills in the other. She was wearing her square-like glasses and a long white coat that fell to her knees.

"I'm sorry you two, but I'm afraid that you both have to go. I'm going to have some nurses come in here to give him a check up and to operate on the remaining open wounds," she explained sorrowfully, "You will be able to visit Kakashi Hatake starting tomorrow morning. And we will do our best to find out how long he will be in a coma."

Yamato solemnly nodded and turned his head to face Sakura. He observed her intently as she placed a chastise kiss on Kakashi's forehead then escorted her out the room, his hand placed on her back. When they exited, no one spoke. The both of them just walked through the winding hallways of the hospital, their minds concentrated on only one thing.

Finally, Yamato decided that he would start a conversation. He felt as if the silence was uncomfortable when it was supposed to be relaxing. Almost too eerie, he thought.

"Sakura, did you drive here?" he questioned.

"…I walked." Her lips barely moved as she said this.

"Alone?" he continued.

Sakura nodded and wiped her watering eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes."

The brown-haired man released a breath that he has been holding in for what felt like a decade and shoved his hands down the pockets of his pants. He played with the keys, the jingling noise ringing in his ears.

"I can drive you home," he suddenly offered, "I don't want to see you walking home by yourself." He let his arm drape around her to comfort her as they stepped out into the open sunlight and brought her close to his side. "And beside that, I don't live too far from your apartment building. Perhaps I can visit you daily if you'd like." They had reached his car by the time he had finished his sentence and he opened the door for her.

Yamato sat on the driver's seat and started the car's engine, the roar drowning their slow and eased breathing. He slowly backed up and began driving toward the part of the city where Sakura lived. Every once in a while, he took a quick glance at Sakura. It was risky, considering that he was driving at the same time, but he needed to make sure that she was okay.

Sakura was heartbroken, and he knew that. He knew how much she loved Kakashi and he knew how much Kakashi loved her. Yamato was friends with Kakashi for a long time. The silver-haired man had told him many things about her that he had never knew of. Since he had knew more things about her than him, Kakashi and her must have really gotten close over the time in their relationship.

"Thank you, Yamato," Sakura suddenly whispered, "You are very kind for helping me out." She paused to suck in a deep breath. "Kakashi must be really lucky to have a great friend like you." She carelessly let her head hit the window as Yamato took a strong turn around the curb. She didn't care.

"Your buddies, including myself, will always be there for you, Sakura."

. . .

_"Kakashi…"_

He woke up to find himself sprawled across the ground. Achingly, he rubbed his arm as he slowly sat up. Wondering where he was, he glanced around himself to only find the eerie darkness draping around him. There was nothing but him and his shadow. He only had himself and nobody else. Alone. He was all alone.

_"Sakura, he's in a coma."_

Words boomed in his mind, echoes buzzed in his ears, and flashbacks of memories bounced in and out of his brain. Feeling a sudden jolt of pain surge throughout his body, he gritted his teeth and clamped his hands to his head.

_"I know, but I wish he wasn't…"_

He was hearing things. No, not things. He was hearing her. Sakura Haruno. He was specifically listening to her soft broken voice as it zoomed through him like a breeze. And he was also comprehending his voice…Yamato's voice. Were they also here with him?

"Yamato? Sakura?" he called out silently.

No reply.

Perhaps it was just his imagination. His mind was playing tricks on him.

Giving up on hope, he lay back down to stare at the blank atmosphere, his silver ruffled hair slightly cushioning the back of his head, his onyx and blood-red eyes gazing at the nothingness of the world.

. . .

_"Sakura, can I speak to you now...alone?"_

_"...Did I do something wro—Why?"_

_"It's about something else, actually...and I have to talk to you about that something."_

_"Please, I am not in the mood to talk to you at the moment."_

_"This will only take a couple of minutes, Sakura. I absolutely need to talk to you, so if you would give me that time, you would understand completely."_

_"Try to make it quick."_

_"Sakura __… _I love you."

_"You're not joking...aren't you?"_

_"...No."_

The sound of knocking pushed her thoughts away from her mind, shaking her back into reality. Sighing disastrously, Sakura pulled the covers over her head and stuffed her face into her pillow, not wanting to see anyone at the moment. But she didn't want to leave the talking all to Yamato - who decided that he would stay at her apartment complex for a couple of days to take care of her - when she was supposed to. No matter_…_he was most likely already answering the door anyways.

Through the walls of her bedroom, she could hear Shikamaru's muffled questioning and Naruto's loud demanding. She thought she heard Ino, for she heard a very annoyed voice that sounded a lot like her. The three of them - perhaps two if Ino wasn't actually there - were probably asking for the reason of to why Yamato was here in the first place. If she was in their shoes, she'd for sure ask that question.

"Knock knock."

Shikamaru tapped on her bedroom door with his fingers as Sakura pushed the blanket away from her face. She glared at him with cold jade eyes as he entered, Naruto, Ino, and Yamato eventually following. When the four of them were all settled in her bedroom, she sat up with a quirky expression.

"How are you, Sakura?" asked Shikamaru. "I haven't talked to you since last week and I would love to know how my closest friend is doing." He leaned against the wall, his eyes pasted to her pale face.

"I suppose I'm okay," replied Sakura, her voice soft yet saddening. "I guess you can say that I'm worried. Perhaps I am also full of distraught." She shrugged dumbly and pulled a pillow onto her lap.

"Well Ino bought you some stuff-"

"Yeah! I mean - um - I got them at the mall," interrupted Ino as she strode up to the bed, a plastic bag in one hand, "I bought you that game that you have been dying for in Gamestop. It cost a lot, but it was worth it."

"Dead Space?" Sakura wondered aloud as she took the game case in hand.

"The second one," Ino laughed halfheartedly, "I tried it out earlier with Naruto. It's kind of creepy, if you'd ask me. It is really fun, though!" She sheepishly scratched the back of her head as Naruto shot him an incredulous look. "I also bought you these two necklaces that you've wanted since senior year in high school. It's supposed to be half of a star but if you put the two necklaces together, they make one star."

Sakura watched the necklaces pool into her cupped hands as Ino slowly dropped them into her clutches. They were golden and the star was coated with white gleaming paint. They were beautiful.

"And Shikamaru I made you a scrapbook full of pictures that you and your friends took together, including us!" sang Naruto as he pushed Ino aside. He dropped a big, plain white book onto her lap and grinned happily. "And I left the last ten pages blank in case you wanted to put some of your other pictures there! So now you can have a whole book of good memories!"

Now this very last gift was the thing that you would last imagine to make her smile.

Sakura let a small grin cross her face as she looked at all of the gifts that her friends had bought and made for her. Her cheeks were suddenly tinted red and her face was growing peachy once again. Of what used to be a ghostly saddened day transformed into a bright sunny day once again.

"I love it all," remarked Sakura, "But why are you all doing this?"

Shikamaru stepped forward. "We are all worried about him too, but just seeing you in such despair made it twice as bad. We can't stand to see two friends in pain."

"We know how much you care about him Sakura," Naruto spoke up, "So we know how hard it is to see him in that kind of a condition."

"But trust us," Ino added, "Everything will get better."

Yamato simply nodded in agreement with all of the teenagers.

And that was when Sakura laughed softly, her voice angelic. "Thank you."

She finally had hope to cling onto.

Her friends.

. . .

_"Oh, hey Genma."_

He paced back and forth, his forehead pressed to his hand.

_"I'm not surprised to find you here, Sakura."_

He was hearing them again. Those voices. Her voice and some other person's voice. Perhaps it was Genma who he was too comprehending, but it can't be. No one was around him. No one was with him in this bland world he stood in. Was he just imagining it again? Was he going crazy?

_"I'm not shocked to see you visiting Kakashi either, considering that you're his long-time friend."_

Visiting? Visiting him?

Kakashi looked around him. There wasn't anyone who was trapped in this darkness with him_…_

_"Yeah. So any luck? Has he awaken from his coma yet?"_

Coma. He closed his eyes tightly to think back to what had happened. He couldn't remember anything at all. Nothing popped into his mind. Not a single flashback, not a single memory. The only thing that managed to bother him were these familiar voices.

_"No. Shizune doesn't even know when he'll ever awaken. She said that there is a chance that he might never wake up__…Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm crying again. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."_

Never? So whatever trance he was in, he was never going to escape it?

_"Shhh. It's not your fault__…it was that stupid mother-fucking car crash.__"_

Car crash.

All of a sudden, he found himself in the midst of the conflict. He could hear the loud roar of the car's engine. He could see the flashing street lights; red, green, yellow. They all blinded him. And that was when he spotted a glint of red liquid splash onto the windshield. His blood. Just then, he spotted a glimpse of the boy who had supposedly crashed into him_…_

"Go away!" he pleaded loudly as he clamped his hands to his head. Before he knew it, he found himself blindly running away from those terrifying illustrations that had just happened to squeeze itself into his mind. The blood. The gore. The horrifying scene. It all tortured him as he foolishly ran away from all of it. The past. The future. They were all attacking him from every direction.

_"Kakashi, there is still something to live for."_

"Sakura," he breathed as he collapsed to his knees, "Sakura..."

. . .

"No. Shizune doesn't know if he will ever awaken. She said that there is a chance that he might never wake up." Sakura sighed as a couple of tears escaped her eyes. "Oh God, I'm crying again. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Genma," she whimpered silently, her voice cracking.

"Shh. It's not your fault," murmured Genma. He took a seat beside her and reassuringly patted her on the shoulder in hope of making her feel better. "It was that stupid mother-fucking car crash," he muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly filling itself with anger.

Silence seeped into the hospital room. An eerie feeling continuously prodded at Sakura and Genma, making them squirm with discomfort. Sitting there and hoping for the best wasn't necessarily working out as they thought it would. In fact, it added on more pressure. She hated it and assumed that Genma most likely disliked the feeling too.

"Listen, I know it must be hard for you Sakura, but everything will get better," Genma whispered into her ear. "It's been a long time since you have actually spoken to him. It's been a week since everyone has been visiting him. But I just know he's okay. I've known him for years and I assure you that he is a strong man."

Sakura slightly pushed Genma away and walked over to the bed to stare at Kakashi. "Genma, everyone has been telling me that. Everyone has been telling me that it is all going to be okay. I can believe that, but there is just another part of me that just won't accept that. I guess you can say that I am scared and lost," she breathed. Absentmindedly, she ran her fingers through his silver hair.

She stared at him with dull emerald eyes, ignoring the fact that Genma was watching every move she was making. Just looking at the broken being of what was Kakashi hurt her. It shattered her heart into little pieces. It snapped the hope she once had into half. Just looking at him did so many things to her.

"Kakashi," she whispered silently. Her hand cupped his cheek, his cold skin stinging her own, and brushed her thumb over the scar that ran along his cheek. Frowning slightly, she gently pressed her lips against his and continued, "I miss you. I love you." A tear slipped out of her eye. "There is still something to live for."

"_…_Sakura, come on," Genma suddenly spoke up, "We can't stay here for too long. Shizune is probably going to step in any moment now to check in on the patient." He placed his hand on her shoulder and urged for her to leave the room with him.

"Yeah, alright," she sighed sadly.

Before departing the room with Genma, she touched him for one last time and gathered her belongings, such as her purse and her cellphone. The chestnut-haired man opened the door for her and she slightly bowed her head in thanks before leaving. Just then, she heard a hoarse raspy voice say, "Sakura?"

Recognizing the familiar voice, she immediately hurried back into the room with Genma trailing behind her, her eyes wide with shock. She stood frozen, her hands shaking and her lips parted. "K-Kakashi?" she stuttered hopefully. "Is that you?" Her voice was rose to a louder volume by the time she finished her sentence.

"Sakura, where am I?" Kakashi slowly sat up and winced as he did so, not knowing about his wounds and newly created scars. Looking at his surroundings, he frowned and muttered, "A hospital? I hate hospitals. Why am I here?"

Sakura laughed happily for the first time since a couple of weeks ago and skipped to him, her arms wrapping him in a warm welcoming embrace. She snuggled close to him, careful at the same time to make sure that she doesn't do any further damage to him, and said, "I missed you so much, Kakashi! I thought you left me for good! I missed you_…_"

"Missed me?" he wondered aloud, his voice barely audible due to her large amount of weeping. "Genma, if that is you back there, can you tell me what on earth has happened?"

Genma smiled sadly and tapped on Kakashi's forehead. His touch triggered a sudden pain in his head and he pressed his hand to his head to only feel a bandage. He questioningly looked at his brown-haired friend, then at Sakura to find her attention elsewhere. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to recall what exactly had happened to him.

He saw a faint red light glowing in the darkness. A large item - perhaps a car - came his way and zoomed right through him, creating an empty hole within him. He then saw a glimpse of a young male teenager's face. The boy had an unusual amount of piercings that covered most of his face, yet he still seemed appealing in a way. His eyes were purplish gray and his hair was bright orange. He looked innocent deep inside, but on the outside, he saw only horror. All of a sudden, the sound of a siren began to ring in his ears and the loud cries for help filled the atmosphere.

"A car crash. I was involved in a car crash, wasn't I?" sighed Kakashi as he allowed his eyes to slide open again. He saw that Sakura was no longer hugging him, but she was still sitting beside him, and Genma stepped closer. How long has he been thinking back to the past? A minute? More than a minute, maybe?

"Unfortunately, yes." Genma shrugged and began to play with the senbon in his mouth. "You were racked up pretty badly, Kakashi my man. Your head was slightly cracked, your arm was nearly broken, your ankle was sprained, and Shizune spoke to me about your internal bleeding issues. Luckily, all of those injuries are all gone. The only thing that would keep this event in mind are the scars all over your body."

Scars. Kakashi took a look at himself using the mirror that lay on the wall from across him. He was wearing his sleeveless top and was most likely wearing his sweat pants as well. A long narrow scar trailed from his shoulder to his elbow on the right arm while the left one was wrapped in bandages, the fabric slightly tinted with dark red liquid - most likely his blood. On his face, his forehead was bandaged heavily and his right eye still had the scar from his childhood.

"Kakashi, don't you remember the car crash?" Sakura asked silently.

"Not all of the exact details," he replied calmly.

"What about the things that happened previously? Stuff before the accident?" Genma piped, the sharp needle bouncing up and down in his mouth.

"It's all a blur right now, actually," Kakashi sheepishly said, "But I suppose the memories will all come back to me sometime later in my life. I sure hope they do." He rubbed his sore arm and attempted to stretch, only to realize that more movement meant even more pain.

"You do remember this, right?"

Sakura's face suddenly came close to his. Her lips were ghosting over his, the intoxicating scent of her strawberry lipstick filling his nostrils. Not being able to resist the temptation, he finished the deed for her and kissed her passionately. His hand came up to cup her cheek and hers slid up to his forearm. Finally, she broke the kiss and backed up slowly, her eyes sparkling with joy.

He missed her. He missed everything about her - the beautiful glow in her emerald-teal eyes, her cherry blossom-like hair, her wonderful smile, the red tint on her cheeks whenever he had teased her, and especially her personality. The sweet, kind Sakura that he learned to love and care for. Oh how he missed her. Oh how he needed her by his side.

"I bet everyone would die to visit you, Hatake," laughed Genma as he took a look outside of the window panel on the door, "Speaking of everyone_…_"

Naruto burst into the room with Shikamaru literally dragging behind him. He skidded to a halt and cocked his head to the side with wide blue eyes. Shikamaru simply hopped to his feet, a nonchalant look filling his dark eyes and a frown forming upon his face.

"I heard laughing! I definitely heard laughing!" he shouted loudly. "No one should be laughing when there is a crisis on our hands!" He paused and took a look at the now conscious Kakashi Hatake. "Oh, Kakashi's awake," he murmured, "Wait_…_Kakashi's awake! Mr. Hatake's awake!" Naruto gleefully laughed and wrapped Kakashi in his bear hug, the tightness nearly choking the silver-haired man. "Shikamaru, look! Kakashi had awaken from the coma!"

"Shut up, Naruto," sighed Shikamaru, his frown slowly turning upside down, "I can see that Kakashi is awake. But has the thought ever occurred to you that you were hurting him instead of welcoming him back to reality? I mean - his face is turning a bit pale."

Naruto glanced at his face to see that Shikamaru was indeed correct. Embarrassingly, the yellow-haired boy let go of him and stepped back, immediately apologizing afterward.

This day was turning out to be a really good one after all_…_

_. . ._

Kakashi sat crossed-leg in front of the lake, Sakura leaning onto his side - of course not with too much pressure, for she knows that he is still experiencing pain. He smiled at the sight of the glimmering water, the sunlight reflecting off of it. It was beautiful. He hasn't seen something like this since_…_Well he probably encountered a moment like this at least once before the accident. He just couldn't recall if he ever did.

"Oh, Kakashi." Sakura began to search for something in her purse until she pulled out two golden necklaces. She dropped one into the palm of his hand and held the other one close to her chest. "Ino bought me these a while ago but I didn't know who to share it with until now. They're supposed to half of a star but if you latch the two necklaces together, they become one." She smiled excitedly.

"Why thank you, Sakura," said Kakashi in awe. He took the necklace, unlatched it, and wrapped it around his neck. He felt the cold pure gold dangle around him as it hit his skin. "How about I help you with this," he continued wryly. His hand snatched her necklace away from her clutches and he carefully unlatched it as he did with his own. A minute passed and the both of them were finally wearing their little matching necklaces, grins spreading across their faces.

Sakura gazed into his mismatched eyes. The sunset in the background reflected against the blood-red eye, creating a small peaceful glint within him. Smiling, she whispered, "I love you Kakashi."

His hand gently cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone. He savored the pleasant touch of her skin and leaned in closer, his lips ghosting over hers.

"I love you too," he murmured.

And then without wasting a single moment, their lips crashed together and night time fell upon the couple, draping them in complete peaceful darkness, the stars shining every so brightly.

* * *

The End

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